COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Advantage West Midlands

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what arrangements he has put in place to monitor the activities of the joint venture company PxP since the closure of Advantage West Midlands;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the assets held by and the performance of the Advantage West Midlands joint venture company PxP since the closure of Advantage West Midlands; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Advantage West Midlands' financial interests in the PxP West Midlands limited partnership was transferred to the Home and Communities Agency in September 2011, along with the other land and property assets from the former regional development agencies to form its economic assets programme.
	Since then, the Homes and Communities Agency has put control systems in place to monitor and protect these financial interests. The agency's executive director for the Midlands has been appointed to the board of PxP, and there is a nominated project officer who is responsible for oversight and reporting on company's performance.
	The agency and its private sector partner are currently reviewing the strategic and operational direction of PxP to ensure prudent and efficient use of resources.

Carbon Monoxide: Alarms

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received on making the installation of carbon monoxide detectors compulsory in all new build houses; and if he will make a statement.

Don Foster: The Department regularly receives representations calling on the Government to extend requirements for carbon monoxide detectors. This includes the report of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee regarding building regulations applying to electrical and gas installation and repairs in dwellings.
	Research carried out in 2010 concluded it would be disproportionate to require carbon monoxide alarms in all new homes, but a requirement to provide them in homes where new solid fuel appliances are being fitted was justified.
	We have no plans to introduce further requirements in this area. A detailed response to the Select Committee report was published in July 2012.

Charities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department allocated to (a) Centrepoint, (b) Crisis, (c) Skill Force and (d) Shelter in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The following tables shows the total allocations of funding allocated to Centrepoint, Crisis, Skill Force and Shelter in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13:
	
		
			 Homelessness funding 
			 £ 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Centrepoint 0 0 0 
			 Crisis 2,350,000 4,350,000 4,000,000 
			 Skillforce 0 0 0 
			 Shelter 3,223,365 2,437,460 2,494,069 
		
	
	
		
			 Affordable housing 
			 £ 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Centrepoint 3,364,783 446,264 0 
			 Crisis 0 0 0 
			 Skillforce 0 0 0 
			 Shelter 0 0 0 
		
	
	This funding was provided to Centrepoint (via the Homes and Communities Agency's Affordable Housing Programme) for the provision of affordable units in London; Crisis to help single homeless people access stable accommodation in the private rented sector and Shelter to operate the National Homelessness Advice Service (a partnership between Shelter and Citizens Advice) and debt advice for the Home Owners Mortgage Support Scheme. From 1 April 2012, affordable housing funding for London has been devolved to the Mayor of London which is why the Centrepoint funding has ceased by my Department.

Floods

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding from the public purse was provided to (a) residents and (b) agencies dealing with flooding in the aftermath of each major flood in each of the last 30 years.

Brandon Lewis: Records of payments in respect of flooding emergencies are neither held centrally for all of the period requested, nor does central Government pay grants directly to residents.
	The UK's current approach to emergency management is based on the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. Since the passing of that Act, there have been two major (i.e. Level 2) flooding emergencies: countrywide flooding in summer 2007, and the Cumbria floods of autumn 2009. A Level 2 (serious emergency) is one which has, or threatens, a wide and prolonged impact requiring sustained central Government co-ordination and support from many Departments and agencies.
	Payments made in respect of those emergencies were:
	Summer 2007
	Due to the wide extent of damage DCLG provided an initial Flood Recovery Grant as part of the wider package of immediate financial support for areas worst affected by the June flooding. £10 million was made available (£5 million of capital funding and £5 million revenue).
	An additional award of up to £10 million was made to support other local authorities affected by the further exceptional flooding in July 2007. Both these grants were calculated by numbers of households affected.
	The significant damage was sufficient that the UK Government applied for a grant from the EU Solidarity Fund to help with costs of recovery. The European Parliament and the Council made the necessary budgetary appropriations available to grant €162.388 million to the UK. The EU Solidarity Fund, created in 2002, grants aid to member states and acceding countries in the event of a major natural disaster. Its annual allocation amounts to €1 billion. To qualify for aid under the Solidarity Fund, countries must present an application containing a documented estimate of the damage.
	Cumbria 2009
	DCLG provided a £1 million fund to the local authority, known as Emergency Flood Relief due to the exceptional damage from the severe flooding.
	The Bellwin scheme
	Bellwin provides emergency financial assistance to local authorities, to help them meet uninsurable costs they incur when responding to a major emergency in their area. It is limited by statute (Section 155 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989) to:
	“costs of immediate action to safeguard life or property or prevent suffering or severe inconvenience to inhabitants”.
	Government will reimburse authorities for 85% of eligible costs above a threshold (set at 0.2% of their annual revenue budget).

Housing: Cumbria

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of new homes for which planning permission has been granted but construction has not yet begun in (a) Barrow and Furness constituency and (b) Cumbria in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nicholas Boles: holding answer 10 December 2012
	The number of homes where permission has been granted but where development has not yet started as at 31 September 2012 is estimated at 245,565 units for England. This figure excludes most small schemes with fewer than 10 units. A breakdown by constituency is not available.
	We are undertaking a series of initiatives to help kick start development on stalled sites, including the £570 million Get Britain Building fund and our reforms to unlock economically unrealistic Section 106 agreements.
	These are part of our broader policies to support house building as outlined in the written ministerial statement of 6 September 2012, Official Report, columns 29-34WS, and November 2011 's Housing Strategy.

Local Government Finance

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which authorities have raised recent concerns about the 2011 Census and its outputs in their areas.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated December 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which has responsibility for the England & Wales Census, I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, asking which local authorities have raised concerns about the 2011 Census and its outputs in their areas. (132274)
	Since the publication of the census population estimates in July, ONS has received queries from a number of local authorities, a few of which were expressing concern but mainly seeking clarification. For example, some queries were asking for an explanation of the difference with the previously published mid-year population estimates, which have now been revised on the basis of the 2011 Census. Others were asking about the comparisons which ONS had published with administrative sources.
	ONS has responded to these enquiries in an open and timely manner, giving explanations with strong supporting evidence, as well as clear guidance on the methodology and quality assurance processes used. The local authorities that have expressed concerns, with whom we are still in discussion are: Tendring District Council, Ceredigion County Council, St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council, Westminster City Council, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council and Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. Through the ongoing dialogue and correspondence, ONS has not been presented with any clear evidence that contradicts the population estimates resulting from the 2011 Census. ONS will continue to support all local authorities that have any question or concerns regarding the 2011 Census outputs.
	I have full confidence in the Census population estimates, which are based on a robust and peer reviewed statistical estimation methodology, and an extensive quality assurance process involving experts. The checks and adjustments that have been made in order to arrive at the Census estimates have been published in Quality Assurance packs for every Local Authority.

Local Government Finance

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will keep the local government finance settlement open to an amending report should it be shown that the 2011 census has miscounted local authority populations.

Brandon Lewis: Statutory powers exist to issue an amending report on the Local Government Finance settlement for a particular year.

Local Government Finance

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether estimates of levels of short-term migration will be factored into the local government finance settlement for the financial year 2013-14.

Brandon Lewis: It is not intended that an estimate of short-term migration be factored into the local government finance settlement for 2013-14. Taking account of the preference of the local government sector, the Government response to the Local Government Resource Review Proposals for Business Rates Retention in December 2011 announced that there would be only limited technical changes to the funding formula for 2013-14. This was to ensure stability at the start of the new Business Rates Retention system.

Local Government: Disclosure of Information

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the latest level of leakage against the 2010 rating list is over the life of the list; and whether the Government is on schedule to meet its target for the 2010 list.

Brandon Lewis: One of the Valuation Office Agency performance indicators is to contain reductions in the 2010 rating lists to a maximum of 3.6% of the total compiled list rateable value, over the entire life of the lists. The figure is published annually in their annual report; at end-March 2012 the measure was on target at 0.44%. At the mid point of 2011-12 to end September 2012, the measure was at 0.65%. The latest figure for end-November remains on target at 0.79%.

New Towns: Sherford

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to assist South Hams, Plymouth and Devon councils to deliver a new town at Sherford.

Mark Prisk: The Government is determined to do all it can to ensure more new homes and communities are delivered quickly. That is why the autumn statement announced a programme of Government support to help progress development on locally-supported large scale sites including supporting local capacity, working across Government to unblock barriers and providing access to a £225 million capital pot where appropriate.
	I have held productive meetings with local authority and developer partners on a number of locally-supported large housing schemes, including Sherford. The Homes and Communities Agency, on my behalf, are taking forward those discussions further to undertake what support from Government may be needed.

Non-domestic Rates: Appeals

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of 30 October 2012, Official Report, column 20WH, on business rates, what additional resource will be allocated to clearing the backlog of business rates appeals in the Valuation Office Agency (VOA); and if he will undertake a formal review into the systems and procedures inside the VOA to ensure that such backlogs are reduced with immediate effect and thereafter maintained;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the current procedures for non-domestic rates appeals in the Valuation Office Agency on the length of time taken for appeals being heard in the Valuation Tribunal.

Brandon Lewis: The Valuation Office Agency expects to have cleared over 400,000 appeals in the two years up to next April and will continue to prioritise this area of work. HM Revenue and Customs regularly undertake a Framework Review of the Agency to ensure it continues to meet the Government's objectives. My officials meet regularly with the Valuation Office Agency and the Valuation Tribunal Service to discuss all aspects of their business rates work including the clearance of appeals.

Non-domestic Rates: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on business rates.

Brandon Lewis: Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Scottish Government on a variety of issues related to the work of the Department.

Religious Buildings: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications for the building of (a) mosques, (b) churches and (c) synagogues have been made in London in the last five years; and what the planned capacity was of each such application.

Nicholas Boles: Information on the number of applications made for the building of (a) mosques, (b) churches and (c) synagogues is not centrally available.

Senior Civil Servants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of senior civil servants have left (a) his Department and (b) each of the public bodies for which he is responsible since May 2010; what the rate of turnover of senior civil servants has been in (i) his Department and (ii) each such body since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: The Department does not hold data centrally for its public bodies.
	Since May 2010, 65 permanent senior civil servants have left the Department. 12 of these were formerly from the Government offices for the regions; transferring across to the Department when they closed but subsequently leaving.
	The rate of turnover of permanent senior civil servants in this period has been calculated at 45%. The high rate of turnover is due to the Department's restructuring process which completed in October 2011. That restructuring was undertaken in an open, fair and prompt way, starting at the highest levels of senior management.
	Based on current budgets, the DCLG Group is making a 44% real terms saving against its running costs over this spending review period by 2014-15. This equates to savings of over £570 million by 2014-15. This includes savings of around £420 million from the closure of the Government offices for the regions.

Surveys

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was.

Brandon Lewis: From 2009 the Department has been part of the Civil Service Annual People Survey which takes place each autumn. Our 2012 People Survey closed in October and we are still receiving our survey results. As yet we have not had the final confirmation of costs but have budgeted for £25,500 which includes the costs for our executive agencies taking part. We will publish our survey results by 31 January 2013 on:
	www.direct.gov.uk

Valuation Office Agency

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many times officials from his Department have met the Valuation Office Agency in the last six months; who attended those meetings; and if he will publish the agenda, minutes and outcomes of those meetings.

Brandon Lewis: The Valuation Office Agency is one of this Department's key business partners and as such meets with the Department on a frequent basis. These meetings cover a range of topics including non domestic rates and council tax issues, the localisation of support for council tax and the Business Rates Retention scheme. The Valuation Office Agency is also represented on the Local Government Finance working group and agendas and meeting notes are available at:
	http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/lgrr/lgfwg.htm

SCOTLAND

Internet

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent on (a) strategy and planning, (b) design and build, (c) hosting and infrastructure, (d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation for his Department's websites in each of the last two years; and how much has been allocated for each such category of expenditure in 2012-13.

David Mundell: The total amount of expenditure on the Scotland Office website for the past two years is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 4,923.25 
			 2011-12 4,404 
		
	
	The amounts noted include an annual hosting and licence fee of £4,200. This fee has been paid to cover the period from February 2012 to March 2013.

Surveys

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was.

David Mundell: The Civil Service People Survey co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office took place in October. Departments are due to publish their results by 31 January 2013. A copy will be placed in the Library at that time.
	The survey was delivered for the Scotland Office by the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice provide a generic version of the survey for each of the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Offices to reduce the cost of the survey. The cost of the 2012 survey is not yet available. The total cost of the survey for the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Offices in 2011 was £4,073 (excluding VAT).

Winter Fuel Payments: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people received winter fuel payments in Scotland in each of the last five years; and what the total value of such payments was.

Michael Moore: The following table shows the number of people who received winter fuel payments in each of the last five years in Scotland, and the total expenditure in these years:
	
		
			  Number of recipients (1) Expenditure (£ million) 
			 2007-08 1,058,550 182 
			 2008-09 1,083,690 236 
			 2009-10 1,105,760 240 
			 2010-11 1,113,920 240 
			 2011-12 1,103,130 188 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Governance and Security. 
		
	
	The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for the administration of winter fuel payments. Information on expenditure on winter fuel payments for Scotland and the UK (excluding Northern Ireland) can be found in the ‘Expenditure by Local Authority’ tables published at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/la_expenditure.xls

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Fraud: Fines

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the five largest fines for fraud resulting from Serious Fraud Office corporate prosecutions have been since 1988; and in each such case (a) which company was fined and (b) in which year the fine was levied.

Oliver Heald: Corporate fines are not the only successful outcome for Serious Fraud Office (SFO) cases in relation to companies. Up until 2008, all successful SFO prosecutions were of individuals. The following table shows the fines and civil recovery orders (CROs) in SFO cases involving corporates since then.
	
		
			  Case Penalty (1) 
			 2009 AMEC plc £4.94 million CRO 
			 2010 BAE Systems plc £500,000 fine 
			 2008 Balfour Beatty plc £2.25 million CRO 
			 2011 De Puy International Ltd £4.8 million CRO 
			 2010 Innospec Ltd $12.7 million fine 
			 2009 Mabey and Johnson Ltd £3.5 million fine 
			 2012 Mabey Engineering (Holdings) Ltd £131,000 CRO 
		
	
	
		
			 2011 MacMillan Publishers Ltd £11.3 million CRO 
			 2011 M W Kellogg Ltd £7 million CRO 
			 2012 Oxford Publishing Ltd £1.9 million CRO 
			 2008 Severn Trent Water Ltd £2 million fine 
			 (1) Figures are rounded 
		
	
	If a company is to be prosecuted, it is usually necessary in SFO cases to demonstrate that the controlling minds of a company were knowing participants in the criminality being alleged. It is therefore far more common to prosecute individuals rather than corporates.
	Other outcomes are also possible. In 2010, BAE Systems plc agreed to make a £29.5 million payment for the benefit of the people of Tanzania, following a settlement with the SFO and the US Department of Justice. This year, Oxford University Press (owners of Oxford Publishing Ltd) unilaterally offered to contribute £2,000,000 to not-for-profit organisations for teacher training and other educational purposes in sub-Saharan Africa.

ICT

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from the Law Officers' Departments in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Heald: The information requested is contained in the following tables.
	
		
			 2010-11 Computers Mobile telephones BlackBerrys Other IT equipment 
			 Crown Prosecution Service 5 12 8 0 
			 Serious Fraud Office 1 3 3 5 
			 Attorney-General's Office 0 0 1 0 
			 Treasury Solicitor's Department 1 0 0 2 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 Computers Mobile telephones BlackBerrys Other IT equipment 
			 Crown Prosecution Service 0 3 4 0 
			 Serious Fraud Office 0 1 3 11 
			 Attorney-General's Office 0 0 0 0 
			 Treasury Solicitor's Department 2 0 0 6 
		
	
	The HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate has not recorded any thefts or losses of IT or communications technology during the past two years.

Senior Civil Servants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General how many and what proportion of senior civil servants have left the Law Officers' Departments since May 2010; what the rate of turnover of senior civil servants has been in the Law Officers' Departments since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Heald: The information requested is contained in the following table:
	
		
			 Department SCS who left the Department since May 2010 (2) Overall rate of turnover (3 ) (percentage) 
			 Treasury Solicitor's Department(1) 11 39 
			 SFO 9 83.48 
			 CPS 20 115.8 
			 (1 )Includes AGO and HMCPSI data as TSol fulfil the personnel functions for both organisations. (2) Includes those transferring to other Government Departments, or other public bodies or those regarding. (3 )Turnover defined as the number of SCS leavers (headcount) in the period expressed as a percentage of the average headcount of SCS staff during the period.

Sick Leave

David Ruffley: To ask the Attorney-General what the average number of working days lost per person through ill health was in the Law Officers' Departments in each of the last five years.

Oliver Heald: For the last three years I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by the former Solicitor-General, my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Harborough (Sir Edward Garnier), on 9 July 2012, Official Report, column 12W.
	The figures for the preceding two years are contained in the following table.
	
		
			 Average working days lost 
			 Department April 2007-March2008 April 2008-March 2009 
			 CPS 9.4 8.5 
			 TSol(1) 6.7 7.2 
			 SFO 8.1 11.2 
			 (1) Figures for the Attorney-General's Office and HM Crown Prosecution service Inspectorate arc incorporated in the TSol data as such information was not recorded separately for this period. 
		
	
	Data is on the average number of working days lost due to ill health is routinely published in respective departmental resource accounts which are laid annually in the House of Commons. Copies of resource accounts relating to the Law Officers' Departments over the past five years can be found in the Library of the House.

TRANSPORT

Cleaning Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) his officials have held with (i) ISS, (ii) Carlisle Cleaning, (iii) Churchill Cleaning and (iv) Initial; and what the subject has been of those discussions in each of the last 12 months.

Norman Baker: Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/ministerial-transparency/#meetings
	The discussions held by officials with the above organisations is set out below:
	
		
			  (i) ISS (ii) Carlisle Cleaning (iii) Churchill Cleaning (iv) Initial 
			 DfT Central - - - See note 1 
			 DSA - - - Various discussions relating to the removal of Initial's equipment from Agency premises following the conclusion of a number of contracts. 
			 DVLA - - - - 
			 HA - - - - 
			 MCA See note 2 - See note 2 See note 2 
			 VCA - - - See note 3 
			 VOSA See note 3 - - - 
			 Notes: 1) The Government Car Service has held various operational discussions during the year with Lancaster Cleaning, who are owned by Initial-Rentokil. 2) Maritime and Coastguard Agency officials have had discussions with (i) ISS, (iii) Churchill Cleaning and (iv) Initial regarding current, and potential future, cleaning service provision to the Agency. 3) Various discussions relating to operational matters.

Driving Under Influence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the likely increase of incidences of drink driving over the Christmas period.

Stephen Hammond: Campaigns like the Department for Transports THINK! drink drive TV campaign and tough enforcement over past Christmas periods have pushed down Christmas drink drive levels. While we not anticipate there being any significant increases in drink driving over this Christmas period we will be making every effort to ensure this is a reality.

Driving: Insurance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to assist young drivers to find insurance.

Stephen Hammond: While it is up to young people to arrange their own insurance, in February the Prime Minister hosted a summit to explore what action might be undertaken to lower costs. The Department is committed to working with the insurance industry, young people, and other key partners to reduce the level of risk to young drivers and, in turn, their insurance premiums.

East Coast Railway Line

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with (a) East Coast Trains and (b) Network Rail on improving public performance measures on the East Coast Mainline route; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: Ministers and officials regularly meet with Network Rail and Train Operators to discuss rail performance issues. East Coast and Network Rail have worked hard to improve performance, and as a result East Coast performance has significantly improved this year. In the most recent four-week period for which figures are available (14 October - 10 November 2012), East Coast PPM MAA stands at 87.7%, up from 83.3% a year ago.

ICT

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The numbers of (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment that were reported as lost or stolen for the years in question is shown below. The figures relate to the entire department, including its agencies and the shared service centre. (Other IT equipment has been for example USB sticks, encryption tokens, and hardware such as monitors and keyboards).
	
		
			 2010-11 
			 Item Lost Stolen 
			 Computers 4 16 
			 Mobiles 14 3 
			 Blackberrys 16 8 
			 Other IT Equipment 44 8 
			 Total 78 35 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 
			 Item Lost Stolen 
			 Computers 2 7 
			 Mobiles 9 1 
			 Blackberrys 18 2 
			 Other IT Equipment 51 12 
			 Total 80 22 
		
	
	By way of comparison, the figures for 2009-10 are as follows:
	
		
			 Item Lost Stolen 
			 Computers 1 22 
			 Mobiles 34 12 
			 Blackberrys 21 7 
			 Other IT Equipment 30 6 
			 Total 86 47

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles fail their MOT and are subsequently scrapped annually.

Stephen Hammond: The total number of annual MOT vehicle failures is shown in the following table from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency's Effectiveness Report. However, the Department for Transport do not hold estimates of the number of these vehicles which are subsequently scrapped.
	
		
			  Tests Fails 
			 2010-11 28,278,321 8,460,362 
			 2009-10 27,609,056 8,444,117 
			 2008-09 27,070,607 8,038,100

Procurement

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether performance of a company in delivering a previous contract with his Department for rolling stock is taken into account when future contracts are awarded by his Department.

Simon Burns: Past performance of bidders was taken into account in relation to the Thameslink rolling stock contract, and it is likely that it will be taken into account in any future rolling stock contracts that the Department may procure, particularly given the provision in the draft Procurement Directives which expressly facilitate this.

Railways: Freight

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what level of investment (a) Network Rail and (b) freight operating companies have made in the Strategic Freight (Rail) Network in each year since 2007.

Simon Burns: The Department does not hold the figures in the format requested.
	The 2007 statement of funds available for control period 4 made provision for £200 million of Network Rail investment in the Strategic Freight Network (SFN) up to 2014, in addition to any Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) funding that might be agreed. An additional £55 million for the SFN was made available in the 2011 autumn statement. In addition, the SFN has been allocated £205 million from Productivity TIF since 2007. Network Rail is on course to have put all this investment in place by the close of control period 4 in 2014.
	The freight operating companies do not invest in the SFN; their investment decisions are made on a commercial basis and relate to rolling stock and terminals.

Railways: Freight

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding has been allocated from the Transportation Innovation Fund to the Strategic Freight (Rail) Network since 2007.

Simon Burns: The Strategic Freight Network has been allocated £205 million from Productivity Transport Innovation Fund since 2007.

Railways: Snow and Ice

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with (a) East Coast Trains and (b) Network Rail on preparations for inclement winter weather; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: Ministers and officials regularly meet with Network Rail and Train Operators to discuss rail performance issues, including managing the effects of severe weather. The industry has well-established plans for dealing with winter weather, and these are currently being implemented around the network as conditions require.
	Last week I spoke to senior management at Network Rail to reiterate the need to take precautionary actions to minimise disruption to services by winter conditions.

Roads: Accidents

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents occurred involving drivers from the EU who did not have the correct insurance in the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: The information requested is not held by the Department. This is because the Department does not collect information on whether drivers were insured or not as part of the accident data set.

Roads: Accidents

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to reduce the number of motor accidents involving young people.

Stephen Hammond: There is ongoing work to reduce the risks of accidents involving young drivers. The Department is considering several options to ensure that newly qualified drivers are properly prepared and drive safely.
	We will continue to work with young people, the insurance industry and other key partners on the development of any policy interventions we may take toward in the future.

Senior Civil Servants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of senior civil servants have left (a) his Department and (b) each of the public bodies for which he is responsible since May 2010; what the rate of turnover of senior civil servants has been in (i) his Department and (ii) each such body since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The number of senior civil servants who have left the Department for Transport and each of the public bodies as well as the rate of turnover of the senior civil servants since April 2008 is shown in the table below.
	
		
			  Department for Transport Public Bodies 
			 Period No of Leavers Staff Turnover No of Leavers Staff Turnover 
			 01/04/08-31/03/09 30 15.46% 2 12.74% 
			 01/04/09-31/03/10 12 5.97% 0 0% 
			 01/04/10-31/03/11 42 24.00% 2 12.27% 
			 01/04/11-31/03/12 26 16.25% 3 17.34% 
		
	
	
		
			 01/04/12-30/11/12 6 3.66% 2.6 12.75%

Severn River Crossing

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with Ministerial colleagues on management of the Severn river crossings once they pass into Government ownership.

Stephen Hammond: Ministers and officials have had some internal discussions on the Severn Crossings, including the need to recover costs incurred by UK taxpayers in relation to the Crossings after the current concession agreement ends.
	After the end of the current concession there will remain an amount of Government debt outstanding relating to the Crossings. The exact amount is still being worked through, but could be over £100 million. The Government has been clear that it will need to continue to toll after the current concession ends in order to recover costs incurred by UK taxpayers in relation to the crossings.

Transport

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what expenditure (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies have made on (i) light rail, (ii) heavy rail, (iii) bus and (iv) roads in (A) Yorkshire and Humber and (B) London in each year since 2007; and if he will estimate the likely level of expenditure for each year to 2015.

Norman Baker: The Treasury publishes Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses, showing departmental spending. This can be found at the following link:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/9802.htm
	The following table shows expenditure by the Department for Transport and its public bodies on railways, bus services and national roads in Yorkshire and the Humber and London in each year since 2007/08.
	
		
			 Expenditure by the Department for Transport and its public bodies (£ million) 
			   2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Railways (1)      
			  Department for Transport 348.0 321.5 421.9 374.4 413.5 
			        
			  Bus Services      
			  Department for Transport 47.8 48.1 50.0 40.7 43.6 
			        
			  National roads      
			  Department for Transport -2.7 5.1 5.9 2.1 1.2 
			  Cycling England 0.0 0.0 3.5 1.0 0.2 
			  Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 20.9 21.9 16.5 12.0 11.4 
			  Driving Standards Agency 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			  Highways Agency 136.4 239.4 352.9 324.0 296.5 
			  Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 2.1 1.2 2.2 0.3 1.0 
			  Vehicle Certification Agency 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 
			        
			 London Railways (1)      
			  Department for Transport 878.6 596.3 1,052.4 1,047.6 1,125.9 
			        
			  Bus Services      
			  Department for Transport 88.7 90.1 93.7 108.5 112.5 
			        
			  National roads      
			  Department for Transport -4.7 9.7 8.3 3.2 1.5 
			  Cycling England 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			  Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 16.5 17.5 15.4 11.7 10.4 
			  Driving Standards Agency 0.3 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			  Highways Agency 24.9 20.5 25.6 20.0 20.5 
			  Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 3.0 1.6 2.8 0.4 1.3 
			  Vehicle Certification Agency 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 
			 (1) Includes expenditure on all types of railway 
		
	
	The Department has not made any estimate of the likely level of expenditure in these regions for future years. While the Department's estimated expenditure in each year up to 2014/15 is set out in the spending review 2010, it is not allocated on a regional basis at this stage.
	The Department's estimated spending in each year up to 2014/15 set out in the spending review 2010 can be found at the following link:
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_chapter2.pdf

Transport for London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding his Department expects to allocate to Transport for London (a) in total and (b) for capital investment in each year between 2010 and 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: Following the Prime Minister's announcement on 7 October 2012 in relation to rail fares, the Department has increased the amount of GLA Transport Grant for the remainder of the current spending review period, as follows:
	
		
			 £ million (cash) 
			  2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 General 1,943 1,954 1,873 1,639 
			 Investment Grant 861 881 904 928 
			 GLA Transport Grant 2,804 2,835 2,777 2,526 
		
	
	These figures do not include funding for Crossrail, payments made under the Bus Service Operator's Grant, or funding for the East London Line extension to Clapham Junction.
	The Department for Transport (DFT) grant is split nominally into a general and an investment grant, reflecting the importance the Government places on major projects such as the Tube upgrade. However, following devolution agreement in July 2003, it is for the Mayor of London to decide transport priorities in London and to allocate his budget (including the grant funding received from the Department) accordingly.
	No decisions have yet been taken on how to implement the changes announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the autumn statement. This will include any resulting changes from the introduction of the Business Rates Retention scheme. DFT ministers and officials will consult the Mayor and Transport for London before making a final determination.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Arrests: Children

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost is of arresting a child in England and Wales.

Damian Green: This information is not collected centrally.

Asylum: Housing

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total amount paid out in utility bills was for asylum seekers in National Asylum Support Service accommodation in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Mark Harper: Accommodation for asylum seekers is provided on behalf of the UK Border Agency by G4S, SERCO and Clearel. Payment is made to the suppliers by way of a daily unit rate which includes provision of utility services. The total amount paid by each supplier is not made available to the UK Border Agency.

Asylum: Yorkshire and the Humber

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the private sector accommodation to be delivered by G4S to re-house asylum seekers in Yorkshire as part of G4S's contract with her Department has opened.

Mark Harper: G4S were awarded the contract for the provision of accommodation and transport services for asylum applicants on 9 March 2012. Since this time, there has been a period of transition during which asylum applicants have been moved from the previous housing providers to G4S accommodation. This transition period is now complete and all asylum applicants in the Yorkshire area are accommodated by G4S.

Borders: Personal Records

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the UK Border Agency's e-borders system will be operational.

Mark Harper: The e-Borders programme is a fully operational system and each day helps to protect the UK against terrorist attack, serious crime and abuses of the immigration system.
	The programme is currently tracking around 55% of inbound and 60% of outbound passenger and crew movements; this equates to approximately 138 million passenger movements a year on over 4,253 routes. Border Force met the public commitment of receiving data for 100% of aviation routes starting outside the EEA for passengers and crew by April 2012.

Dual Nationality

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many UK citizens hold dual nationality with France;
	(2)  how many UK citizens hold dual nationality with the Republic of Ireland;
	(3)  how many UK citizens hold dual nationality with the US.

Mark Harper: No statistical information is available showing whether UK nationals hold another nationality.

Dyfed Powys Police: Helicopters

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many times the Dyfed Powys police helicopter has been deployed in the Dyfed Powys area in each year since 2007;
	(2)  how many of the occasions in which the Dyfed Powys police helicopter has been deployed in the Dyfed Powys area have involved (a) the transport of dogs, (b) assistance to someone in need of medical treatment and (c) flying over hilly terrain or sea cliffs in each year since 2007.

Damian Green: This information is not held centrally.

Entry Clearances

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for a Tier 2 General visa were (a) granted and (b) refused by the UK Border Agency in each of the last 10 years.

Mark Harper: Tier 2 of the Points Based System was introduced in November 2008.
	Figures for the number of Tier 2 General entry clearance visas issued and refused from 2008 to 2011 appear in the following table.
	
		
			 PBS Tier 2 General (1)  entry clearance visas issued and refused (main applicants), 2008 to 2011 
			  Issued Refused 
			 2008 17 23 
			 2009 8,556 1,648 
			 2010 9,914 1,613 
			 2011 7,762 567 
			 (1) PBS Tier 2 was introduced in November 2008. Corresponding dependants cannot be separately identified. Source: Table be.01, Immigration Statistics July-September 2012 
		
	
	The latest Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas including the Points Based System, are published in the release Immigration Statistics release, which is available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q3-2012
	A copy of the latest release, 'Immigration Statistics July-September 2012' has been placed in the House Library.

Entry Clearances

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visa applications were (a) granted and (b) rejected for each type of visa in each of the last 10 years.

Mark Harper: Figures for the number of entry clearance visas issued and refused by types of visa from 2005 to 2011 appear in the following tables.
	
		
			 Entry clearance visas issued and refused, by type of visa (including dependants), 2005 to 2011 
			  Entry clearance visa issued 
			  2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Work 243,466 249,634 205,826 184,712 155,691 160,739 149,221 
			 Study(1) 191,584 211,114 213,052 231,975 303,363 285,544 261,405 
			 Student visitors(2) 15,834 23,215 33,144 42,238 37,703 49,191 61,381 
			 Family 66,324 70,119 64,389 53,544 49,473 53,716 45,677 
			 Dependants joining/accompanying 28,421 27,559 42,088 41,460 17,480 15,357 14,148 
			 Other(3) 1,519,795 1,646,623 1,504,137 1,400,681 1,431,664 1,580,095 1,741,059 
			 Total 2,065,424 2,228,264 2,062,636 1,954,610 1,995,374 2,144,642 2,272,891 
		
	
	
		
			  Entry clearance refused 
			  2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Work 36,205 35,575 31,693 40,728 25,445 19,875 12,506 
			 Study(1) 86,536 91,458 93,807 98,653 103,268 90,458 50,939 
			 Student visitors(2) 986 1,626 4,458 7,730 7,466 8,195 12,399 
			 Family 13,941 14,294 15,801 15,113 13,452 14,848 11,430 
			 Dependants joining/accompanying 4,484 4,980 6,995 6,309 2,879 3,337 2,957 
			 Other(3) 316,899 330,852 316,729 260,086 275,815 242,871 232,773 
			 Total 459,051 478,785 469,483 428,619 428,325 379,584 323,004 
			 (1) The student visitor category was introduced in 2007 and may include individuals previously recorded as visitors, so for consistency and comparability over time they have been excluded from study-related totals. (2) Student visitors are allowed to come to the UK for six months (or 11 months if they will be studying an English Language course) and cannot extend their stay. (3) Mainly visitors. Source: Table be.01, ‘Immigration Statistics July-September 2012’ 
		
	
	Comparable data are not available for earlier years.
	The latest Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas, are published in the release Immigration Statistics release, which is available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q3-2012/
	A copy of the latest release, 'Immigration Statistics July-September 2012' has been placed in the House Library.

Entry Clearances: South Sudan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for visas the UK Border Agency has received from residents of South Sudan in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Harper: The UK Border agency has not received any applications from South Sudan nationals. This is because the nationality recorded on the computer system is taken from that printed on their passports and it might be that most nationals still have Sudanese passports.

Entry Clearances: Syria

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether visa concessions are being offered to Syrian nationals in the UK whose leave to remain is due to expire; and whether such concessions are consistent with the treatment offered to Libyan nationals.

Mark Harper: On 15 October 2012 limited visa concessions were introduced for Syrian nationals who are currently in the UK and have valid leave. The concessions are intended to allow greater flexibility for this group when either extending their visas or switching into a different immigration category but do not significantly change the underlying requirements of any visa category. They will be in place until March 2013 but may be extended further, subject to review. These concessions are consistent with those previously offered to Libyan nationals but reflect the learning from the operation of that concession and the differences in country situation.

EU Immigration

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on future UK participation in the Common European Asylum System; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: The Government do not support the creation of a Common European Asylum System (CEAS) as a whole. We believe that this focuses member states on “paper based” legislative solutions for problems which really need to be addressed through practical co-operation. Nonetheless we support two elements of CEAS: the Dublin and EURODAC Regulations and have opted in to both. These reduce abuse of the asylum system by tackling “asylum shopping”.
	It is firmly in the UK's interests that other EU member states have well functioning border and asylum systems. We believe that this is best achieved through practical assistance to help member states build capacity, improve the quality of their asylum systems and by sharing best practice. The Government supports the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) which leads this work, focusing in particular on assistance to Greece and the development of an ‘early warning’ system to prevent future migration crises.

Illegal Immigrants: Deportation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to actively remove illegal immigrants from the UK.

Mark Harper: The UK Border Agency takes swift action to enforce the removal of persons who do not have any legal right to stay in the United Kingdom and who have failed to leave voluntarily. The UK Border Agency works to remove all identified illegal migrants from the UK and encourages illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin voluntarily. Action will be taken against those who have no lawful permission to remain in the UK and illegal immigrants who fail to depart will be arrested, detained and have their removal enforced.
	The Agency works in partnership with other law enforcement bodies to identify and remove illegal migrants, such as the ongoing work with the Metropolitan police delivered through Operation Nexus.

Immigration

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of (a) immigrants to the UK and (b) foreign nationals awarded British citizenship in each of the last five years; what the country of origin was of the 10 countries with the largest number of people in each such category; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces estimates of long-term international migration (LTIM). ONS uses the UN definition of a long-term migrant which is a person who changes their country of usual residence for a period of 12 months or more. LTIM data is primarily based on the International Passenger Survey (IPS).
	Long-term international migration (LTIM) estimates are available on the ONS website:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-280889
	Table 2.01a "LTIM Citizenship 1991-2011", provides estimates of immigration to the UK in each of the last five years.
	Table 3.20abc "IPS Top Countries of Last or Next Residence by Citizenship, 1975-2011", provides estimates of the top 10 countries of last residence in each of the last five years.
	The Home Office published statistics of persons granted British citizenship by previous nationality are given in the tables.
	
		
			 Grants of British citizenship—top 10 countries of previous nationality 
			 2007 
			  Number 
			 India 14,507 
			 Philippines 10,844 
			 Afghanistan 10,554 
			 South Africa 8,149 
		
	
	
		
			 Pakistan 8,143 
			 Somalia 7,450 
			 Sri Lanka 6,496 
			 Nigeria 6,031 
			 Zimbabwe 5,592 
			 Iraq 5.479 
			 Total grants 164,637 
		
	
	
		
			 2008 
			  Number 
			 India 11,835 
			 Pakistan 9,442 
			 Iraq 8,894 
			 Somalia 7,163 
			 Zimbabwe 5,707 
			 Afghanistan 5,539 
			 Philippines 5,382 
			 South Africa 5,266 
			 Turkey 4,641 
			 Nigeria 4,531 
			 Total grants 129,377 
		
	
	
		
			 2009 
			  Number 
			 India 26,541 
			 Pakistan 20,945 
			 Bangladesh 12,041 
			 Philippines 11,751 
			 South Africa 8,367 
			 Somalia 8,139 
			 Zimbabwe 7.703 
			 Turkey 7,207 
			 Nigeria 6,953 
			 China 6.041 
			 Total grants 203,789 
		
	
	
		
			 2010 
			  Number 
			 India 29,405 
			 Pakistan 22,054 
			 Philippines 9,429 
			 Bangladesh 7,966 
			 Nigeria 7,873 
			 China 7,581 
			 South Africa 7,446 
			 Zimbabwe 6,301 
			 Somalia 5,817 
			 Afghanistan 5,281 
			 Total grants 195,046 
		
	
	
		
			 2011 
			  Number 
			 India 26,290 
			 Pakistan 17,641 
			 Nigeria 7,932 
			 Philippines 7,133 
			 China 6,966 
			 South Africa 6,351 
		
	
	
		
			 Sri Lanka 5,886 
			 Iraq 5,742 
			 Iran 5,540 
			 Bangladesh 5,149 
			 Total grants 177,785 
			 Source: Home Office Statistics, Migration Statistics. Derived from table cz.06 of 'Immigration Statistics July-September 2012'. 
		
	
	The latest Home Office immigration statistics on persons granted British citizenship, from which the citizenship data in this reply are derived, are given in table 'cz.06' of the statistical release 'Immigration Statistics July-September 2012'. This publication is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q3-2012/

Immigration: Africa

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy that children educated in the UK having arrived from Africa and with no status or passport on reaching their majority should be able to apply for UK citizenship.

Mark Harper: The Government will not introduce the suggested policy. There are a number of routes in the Immigration Rules which enable individuals to obtain residency in the United Kingdom. Generally permanent residents of the UK are eligible to apply to naturalise as British citizens after 12 months free of immigration control.
	Whether any individual may remain in the UK is considered on a case by case basis in accordance with the immigration rules. The fact that an individual was educated in the UK, in whole or in part, is not determinative of any application.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will arrange for the hon. Member for Walsall North to receive a reply from the Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency to her letter of 29 October 2012 about a constituent, ref B28233/12.

Mark Harper: holding answer 10 December 2012
	The UK Border Agency replied to the hon. Member on 3 December 2012.

Metropolitan Police

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department has allocated to the Metropolitan police (a) in total and (b) for capital investment in each year between 2010 and 2015; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) The Home Office has allocated the following total resource payments to the Metropolitan police:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 1,259,313,871 
			 2011-12 1,375,321,319 
			 2012-13 1,369,047,898 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are only available on a financial year basis and do not include police funding provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government. 2. Allocations for 2013-14 and 2014-15 have not been made. 3. The above figures do not include counter-terrorism funding. The Home Department does not break down the counter-terrorism budget beyond what is already published for reasons of national security. It has been the policy of successive Governments not to reveal these details. 
		
	
	(b) The Home Office has allocated the following separate capital payments to the Metropolitan police:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 55,641,159 
			 2011-12 33,695,787 
			 2012-13 34,118,023 
			 Note: Capital allocations for 2013-14 and 2014-15 have not been made.

Overseas Students: Syria

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will permit students from Syria to work during their time in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: As a result of the exceptional situation in Syria we have allowed Syrian students in the UK to extend the period of their visas.
	The immigration rules allow a student studying at degree level or higher at a Higher Educational Institution (HEI) to work for 20 hours per week during term time and without limit during vacations. Where the student is studying below degree level at a HEI or is studying at a publically funded Further Education institution they are able to work for 10 hours per week during term time and without limit during vacations. There are no plans to alter the current provisions for Syrian students in the UK.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the availability to the public of information provided by her Department for the elections of police and crime commissioners.

Damian Green: The Home Office ran a police and crime commissioner (PCC) advertising campaign from 6 to 24 October. The purpose of the campaign was to increase people's awareness and understanding of the PCC role as well as direct the public to further information about candidates standing in their area. The campaign reached 84% of the adult population in England and Wales (excluding London) through television advertising alone.
	Information that the public needed about PCC candidates was available to everyone either via:
	www.choosemypcc.org.uk
	or a free phone number (0800 1 070708) which the public could ring to order a free printed copy of the candidate information.
	By the end of the election day, on 15 November, thereusb had been more than 1.8 million visits to www.choosemypcc.org.uk. In addition 120,361 candidate information leaflets were dispatched.
	An evaluation of the awareness raising campaign is currently being conducted.

Police and Crime Commissioners

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to her answer of 25 October 2012, Official Report, column 1011W, what the cost of the advertising campaign for police and crime commissioner elections was for (a) television, (b) radio, (c) print, (d) online and (e) other media.

Damian Green: Costs for the police and crime commissioner advertising campaign are shown in the table:
	
		
			  £ 
			 Television (including costs of online on-demand TV as well as standard TV media) 1,141,270 
			 Radio 167,501 
			 Print media (including costs of press and outdoor media) 604,517 
			 Online media 267,017 
			 Other media (1)— 
			 (1) No further media costs have been incurred

Police and Crime Commissioners

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the returning officer costs for the election of 14 November 2012 for police and crime commissioners (PCCs) by PCC area;
	(2)  if she will publish the amount to be reimbursed to returning officers by her Department following the election held for police and crime commissioners in November 2012, by police area.

Damian Green: The cost estimates, including the maximum amounts claimable, are set out in full in the Police and Crime Commissioner Elections (Local Returning Officers' and Police Area Returning Officers' charges) Order, 12 September 2012, which is available on the legislation.gov.uk website.
	The following link to the Order is provided for ease of reference:
	http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/2378/contents/made

Police and Crime Commissioners

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2012, Official Report, columns 36-7W, on police and crime commissioners, what the cost to the public purse was of the (a) telephone helpline, (b) website, (c) postage and (d) other costs.

Damian Green: The costs to the public purse (excluding VAT) for making police and crime commissioner candidate information available to the public were as follows:
	(a) Telephone order line
	The final cost of the 0800 1070708 telephone number was £73,384.05 which covers the period 5 October up until 4 pm on 14 November. This figure includes initial set up and development of the service, call charges, costs for call handling and transcription of messages left via the automated order line.
	(b) Website
	The cost of the website was £91,729.35. This figure includes all website development, design and build, testing and hosting costs for the website up until 24 November.
	(c) Postage
	The cost of posting the information booklets was £49,592.60.
	(d) Other costs
	In order to make candidate information available to the public, there were other costs incurred as follows:
	Print: The cost for setting up the print system, printing and enclosing the candidate information leaflets was £136,250.36. This includes printing standard and large format booklets and producing and printing alternative formats (Braille, audio).
	Data management: The cost for developing the data management system to process requests for leaflets received via the order line and website was £17,220.
	Leaflet design costs: The cost for designing and artworking 41 regional candidate information leaflets was £6,020.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she has issued to police and crime commissioners on the appointment of deputies.

Damian Green: holding answer 6 December 2012
	The Government have not issued any guidance to police and crime commissioners on the appointment of deputies.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish for each police authority area (a) the name and salary of the elected police and crime commissioner and (b) the names, salaries and titles of any deputies or assistants such commissioners have appointed.

Damian Green: holding answer 6 December 2012
	The information requested in part (a) is provided in the following ‘Salaries Analysis’ table.
	The information requested in part (b) needs to be addressed to police and crime commissioners.
	
		
			 Force Candidates Salary (£) 
			 Avon and Somerset Sue Mountstevens 85,000 
			 Bedfordshire Oily Martins 70,000 
			 Cambridgeshire Graham Bright 70,000 
			 Cheshire John Dwyer 75,000 
			 Cleveland Barry Coppinger 70,000 
			 Cumbria Richard Rhodes 65,000 
			 Derbyshire Alan Charles 75,000 
			 Devon and Cornwall Tony Hogg 85,000 
			 Dorset Martyn Underhill 70,000 
			 Durham Ron Hogg 70,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Dyfed-Powys Christopher Salmon 65,000 
			 Essex Nick Alston 85,000 
			 Gloucestershire Martin John Surl 65,000 
			 Greater Manchester Tony Lloyd 100,000 
			 Gwent Ian Johnston 70,000 
			 Hampshire Simon Hayes 85,000 
			 Hertfordshire David Lloyd 75,000 
			 Humberside Matthew Grove 75,000 
			 Kent Ann Barnes 85,000 
			 Lancashire Clive Grunshaw 85,000 
			 Leicestershire Clive Loader 75,000 
			 Lincolnshire Alan Hardwick 65,000 
			 Merseyside Jane Kennedy 85,000 
			 Norfolk Stephen Bett 70,000 
			 North Wales Winston Roddick 70,000 
			 North Yorkshire Julia Mulligan 70,000 
			 Northamptonshire Adam Simmonds 70,000 
			 Northumbria Vera Baird 85,000 
			 Nottinghamshire Paddy Tipping 75,000 
			 South Wales Alun Michael 85,000 
			 South Yorkshire Shaun Wright 85,000 
			 Staffordshire Matthew Ellis 75,000 
			 Suffolk Tim Passmore 70,000 
			 Surrey Kevin Hurley 70,000 
			 Sussex Katy Bourne 85,000 
			 Thames Valley Anthony Stansfield 85,000 
			 Warwickshire Ronald Ball 65,000 
			 West Mercia Bill Longmore 75,000 
			 West Midlands Bob Jones 100,000 
			 West Yorkshire Mark Burns-Williamson 100,000 
			 Wiltshire Angus Macpherson 70,000

Police: Surveillance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2012, Official Report, column 38W, on police: surveillance, whether it is Government policy that it is not acceptable for undercover police to engage in sexual activity with members of the public and that this is not authorised conduct;
	(2)  with reference to the contribution by the then Minister of State at the Home Department on 13 June 2012, Official Report, column 104WH, what the reasons are for any change in Government policy on undercover policing since June 2012; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: There has been no change in the Government's policy on undercover policing. The then Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Arundel and South Downs (Nick Herbert), made our position clear in the Westminster Hall Adjournment Debate on 13 June 2012, Official Report, column 104WH.
	We are working with the police and others to implement the recommendations of the independent HM Inspectorate of Constabulary report earlier this year into the use of long term undercover officers. As for inappropriate sexual conduct, when police officers conduct themselves in ways that breach their own professional standards then this is a matter for the police in accordance with their professional standards.

Smuggling: Tobacco

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many boats were intercepted smuggling tobacco into the UK in the last year for which figures are available.

Mark Harper: In the year up to the end of October 2012, Border Force Cutters seized tobacco and tobacco products from 39 vessels of all types.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Public Appointments

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when her Department last assessed (a) the utility and (b) the value of psychometric testing in its recruitment and selection of candidates for public appointments on advisory boards.

Edward Vaizey: The Department has not carried out an assessment of psychometric testing for ministerial public appointments.

Public Appointments

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her Department's policy is on the payment of travel expenses to candidates in respect of their attendance at assessment centres and interviews when pursuing applications for selection to a public appointment.

Edward Vaizey: The Department's policy is to reimburse reasonable costs, if claimed by candidates who have attended an interview for a ministerial public appointment.

JUSTICE

Abu Qatada

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on legal aid in respect of Abu Qatada.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is the body with operational responsibility for legal aid in England and Wales. The LSC have not received final claims from Abu Qatada's solicitors, but have confirmed that they had provided £515,778 in legal aid funding to Abu Qatada as of 5 December 2012.

Claims Management Services

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether his proposal to extend the jurisdiction of the Office for Legal Complaints to cover complaints against claims management companies will apply from April 2013;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likelihood of any consumer detriment of delaying the extension of the Office for Legal Complaints jurisdiction to cover complaints against claims management companies beyond April 2013.

Helen Grant: The Government announced in August 2012 that the Legal Ombudsman will assume responsibility for claims management complaints handling in 2013. It has been, and still is, our intention that these arrangements will be in place by the end of 2013 when all the necessary operational, financial and regulatory arrangements are in place.
	Until those arrangements are in place, the current complaints handling system for claims management companies will remain in operation and consumers can continue to lodge complaints with the Claims Management Services Regulator. There is no delay nor is there any increased consumer detriment.

Courts: Interpreters

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many spot checks have been performed by his Department's procurement specialists on Capita's interpreter verification and vetting procedures; and what other steps he has put in place to ensure that those procedures are (a) sufficiently rigorous and (b) applied consistently;
	(2)  how many Capita interpreters are currently assessed on Tier (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3; and how many Tier 3 interpreters have been deployed in courtrooms or tribunals since January 2012;
	(3)  what changes he has made to his Department's services procurement process as a result of the findings of the National Audit Office's report on the Ministry of Justice's language services contract published in September 2012.

Helen Grant: The Department has undertaken three sample audits. On each occasion a random sample of 30 interpreters has their qualifications and vetting documentation physically checked, in accordance with the tier to which the interpreter is currently assigned. This is in addition to the spot checking of management information. There will be a further sample audit in December.
	The number of interpreters available in each tier is set out as follows, as at 29 October 2012. This was confirmed by Capita during its evidence to the Public Accounts Committee:
	
		
			 Tier Number of interpreters Number of languages covered 
			 Tier l 677 1332 
			 Tier 2 303 640 
			 Tier 3 132 281 
		
	
	Tier 3 interpreters constitute 11.7% of the total. It should also be noted that the final decision on the use of a Tier 3 interpreter is for the judge hearing the particular case where it is being considered. Currently tier 3 interpreters are used in approximately 2% of cases.
	The Ministry of Justice carries out due diligence on all commercial bodies with which it contracts. We have noted the NAO’s comments and we will look to learn from them in future exercises of this nature.

Courts: Middlesbrough

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many cases have been dealt with by East Middlesbrough Community Justice Court in each year since its inception;
	(2)  how many cases were heard by Teesside Youth Court in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 and (e) 2012 to date.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice holds statistical information in relation to the number of cases dealt with in magistrates courts at individual local justice area level. Both East Middlesbrough Community Justice Court and Teesside Youth Court operate within Teesside Magistrates Court and their case data are therefore captured as a part of Teesside Magistrates Court data. The following table presents figures for the number of criminal cases dealt with in Teesside Magistrates Court between 2009 and the second quarter of 2012, The data collection system for magistrates courts changed in 2008, so comparable data are only available from 2009 onwards.
	
		
			 Completed criminal proceeded in magistrates courts, England and Wales, 2009-12 
			  Number of proceedings in Teesside Magistrates Court (1) Total number of proceedings 
			 2009 20,688 1,912,632 
			 2010 18,582 1,797,359 
			 2011 18,332 1,734,579 
			 2012(2) 9,348 837,932 
			 (1) Both East Middlesbrough Community Justice Court and Teesside Youth Court are located within Teesside Magistrates Court and there are no data available for each specific court. (2 )Provisional figures and subject to change. Figures are only available from January to June 2012. Full details for 2012 will be published in June 2013. Source: Completed Proceedings, HM Court and Tribunals Service Performance Database (OPT)

Fraud: Shares

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of the money recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 has been recovered following the discovery of (a) boiler room and (b) recovery room scams since implementation of that Act.

Helen Grant: Both the HM Courts and Tribunals Service and other Government databases hold information by category, the most relevant of which does not allow the identification of offences at the level requested.

Magistrates: Tees Valley

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many magistrates who currently sit at Teesside Magistrates' Court are (a) male, (b) female, (c) black, Asian and minority ethnic, (d) disabled and (e) aged under 35 years old.

Helen Grant: There are 265 magistrates sitting at Teesside Magistrates Court. The following table shows the number of those magistrates falling within each of the categories specified in the question:
	
		
			  Number Percentage 
			 Male 132 49.8 
			 Female 133 50.2 
			 BAME(1) 14 5.2 
			 Declared disability 12 4.5 
			 Aged under 35 7 2.6 
			 (1) Black, Asian and minority ethnic

Police and Crime Commissioners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff of his Department were working on the analysis of powers, funding and responsibilities for police and crime commissioners on (a) 1 September 2012, (b) 1 October 2012 and (c) 1 November 2012.

Damian Green: On the dates specified the core Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) team consisted of seven members. This team also worked on other aspects such as parliamentary work, correspondence and ministerial support. A separate team leading on Police and Crime Panels and PCC partners (i.e. councils and Criminal Justice Bodies) had five members on the dates specified.

Reoffenders

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effectiveness in reducing reoffending of anger management programmes for offenders on supervision.

Jeremy Wright: The two main programmes that have been provided to date to offenders on community sentences are CALM and ART. Evaluations of both programmes have been undertaken both by NOMS and by independent researchers, and have consistently found reductions in reoffending. The impact is considerably greater for those offenders who complete the entire programme. Anger management is built into many other programmes for offenders and is also addressed where required within structured supervision sessions.
	CALM—Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage it—is delivered in both prison and the community. A study of the equivalent Anger and Emotion Management Programme in Canada found that the three-year reoffending rate for programme participants was under 10% compared to a rate approaching 30% for the comparison group. Substantial reductions in both general and violent reoffending were observed, but only for higher-risk offenders who completed the programme. Consistent with our knowledge that low-risk offenders do not benefit from intensive interventions, low-risk offenders did not reoffend less after completing the programme. At the three-year follow-up, there were clear differences in both general and violent recidivism between treatment completers, non-completers and the untreated comparison group.
	ART—Aggression Replacement Training—is delivered in a number of probation trusts. An unpublished internal study in England and Wales in 2000 found a one-year reconviction rate for ART completers of 20.4%, compared to 34.5% for an untreated control group. An independent published study in 2008 carried out by the university of Leicester found that after a 10-month follow up period 39% of offenders who completed ART had reoffended, compared to 51% of untreated offenders.
	A Home Office study in 2007, which combined CALM and ART, found that attending an anger management programme led to an overall reduction of almost nine percentage points from the predicted reoffending rate. For those who completed the programme, the reduction was much greater—over 14 percentage points.

Reoffenders

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the reoffending rate is for offenders sentenced to intensive alternatives to custody in the pilot areas in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what comparative assessment he has made of the reoffending rate for intensive alternatives to custody pilots and that for similar offenders who received custodial sentences of less than 12 months in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) proven reoffending data does not identify offenders subject to Intensive Alternatives to Custody (IAC). However, the MOJ has published an initial analysis to compare reoffending rates for offenders receiving IAC with a well-matched control group of offenders who received other court orders in 2009 and offenders from short custodial sentences who were discharged in 2009.
	The one-year proven reoffending rate of a matched group of offenders was 54.8% for the IAC compared to 50.0% for court orders. There was no statistically significant difference between IAC and other court orders in terms of impact on reoffending.
	The one-year proven reoffending rate of a matched group of offenders was 56.1% for the IAC compared to 63.6% for short-term custody. This indicates a lower level of reoffending in the IAC group compared with a well-matched short custodial group—an estimated 7.5 percentage points over the 12 month follow up period. This difference was statistically significant at the 10% level. This gives an indication that those on IAC orders (as with other community orders) had lower reoffending rates than those receiving short-term custody.
	This research is available on the MOJ website, located on the following webpage:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/research-and-analysis/moj-research/iac-impact-evaluation-research-summary.pdf

Sentencing

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many (a) violent criminals and (b) sex offenders have received indeterminate sentences for public protection in each of the last 15 years;
	(2)  for what offences an indeterminate sentence for public protection has been given in each of the last six years.

Jeremy Wright: The sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) was created by the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and implemented for offences committed after 4 April 2005. Offenders given imprisonment for public protection at all courts by offence group in England and Wales, from 2005-11, can be viewed in the following table:
	
		
			 Offenders given imprisonment for public protection at all courts by offence group, England and Wales, 2005-11 (1, 2) 
			 Offence group 2005 (3) 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Violence against the person 137 544 644 614 357 394 281 
			 Sexual offences 48 328 400 375 298 328 300 
			 Burglary 12 31 37 31 25 30 25 
			 Robbery 164 355 406 320 213 162 133 
			 Theft and handling of stolen goods 1 7 3 2 — 3 2 
			 Fraud and forgery — — 1 — — — — 
			 Criminal damage 32 86 86 78 54 44 48 
			 Drug offences 2 — 3 3 — 1 — 
			 Other indictable offences 30 95 127 115 54 57 30 
			 Indictable motoringoffences — 1 — — — — — 
			 Total 426 1,447 1,707 1,538 1,001 1,019 819 
			 "-" Nil (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Imprisonment for public protection became available from April 2005. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Young Offender Institutions

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff have been subject to disciplinary procedures following complaints by young people detained in (a) young offender institutions and (b) secure training centres in each of the last three years; of those, how many procedures have resulted in formal sanctions or disciplinary action being taken; and how many actions related to issues arising from incidents of restraint for each.

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service holds high level information centrally on staff who have been subject to disciplinary procedures. However, it is not possible to extract detailed information for any disciplinary procedures resulting from complaints from young people detained in either young offender institutions or secure training centres. Nor is it possible to identify any disciplinary sanctions given to staff working in the young people's estate in general.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Copper

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Health and Safety Executive's recommendation on the use of copper for the control and treatment of Legionella, as set out in its Accepted Code of Practice L8, is still current.

Mark Hoban: The Health and Safety Executive do not recommend any particular control methods for the treatment of legionella in water systems.
	The HSE Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) L8 which is still current and valid provides guidance on a number of treatment programmes to control legionella in water systems, including advice on how to treat water in hot and cold water systems, using ionisation methods (i.e. the electrolytic generation of copper and silver ions). The ACOP is clear that there are a number of legionella management systems available and that the duty holder is responsible for selecting the system appropriate for their given situation.
	The ACOP (L8) is currently being reviewed as part of a wider review of HSEs ACOPs and the revised version will need to reflect the impact of decisions made in Europe around the use of copper for the control of legionella in water systems.

Copper

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will apply for a UK derogation, on the grounds of essential use, from the ban on the supply of copper as a biocide under the EU Biocides Products Regulation.

Mark Hoban: Yes, the Health and Safety Executive is currently planning to apply to the European Commission on behalf of the UK for an essential use derogation to allow continued supply and use of copper-based water disinfection systems for Legionella control. If granted, supply and use could continue for an interim period while those supplying such systems prepare their case to support their products under the Biocides Directive (98/8/EC).

Copper

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will direct the Health and Safety Executive to submit an application for the UK to derogate from the ban on the supply of copper as a biocide under the EU Biocides Products Regulation to prevent the ban coming into effect on 1 February 2013.

Mark Hoban: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is currently planning to apply to the European Commission for an essential use derogation to allow continued supply and use of copper-based water disinfection systems for Legionella control. If granted, supply and use could continue for an interim period while those supplying such systems prepare their case to support their products under the Biocides Directive (98/8/EC).
	However the timing of securing any such derogation is dependent on the European Commission's processes. HSE will thus, in parallel, work with suppliers and users to discuss whether, and what, contingency arrangements may be required if a derogation is not in place by 1 February 2013.

Incapacity Benefit

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for how many claimants of incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance the primary diagnosis included alcohol abuse, drug abuse or obesity in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2009-10; what the total cost of those benefits was in each year; and how many people with such a primary diagnosis had been claiming those benefits for five years or more.

Mark Hoban: The specific information requested is not readily available prior to 2001, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The following tables give the most readily available information from 2001 to 2010. Caseload at the end of February of each year is given as representative of the financial year:
	
		
			 Incapacity benefit (IB)/severe disablement allowance (SDA) caseload (in payment): Primary health condition by duration of current claim: February 2001 to February 2010 
			 Primary health condition by duration of current claim—caseload in payment 
			  Alcoholism Drug abuse Obesity 
			 As at February each year Total Under 5 years 5 years and over Total Under 5 years 5 years and over Total Under 5 years 5 years and over 
			 2001 16,220 9,870 6,350 7,310 5,600 1,710 960 430 520 
			 2002 17,000 9,850 7,150 8,490 6,420 2,070 980 410 570 
			 2003 17,660 9,730 7,930 9,420 6,940 2,480 980 370 610 
			 2004 18,570 10,080 8,490 9,850 7,030 2,820 990 370 620 
			 2005 19,140 10,170 8,970 10,020 6,840 3,190 990 370 620 
			 2006 19,450 9,990 9,460 10,100 6,420 3,680 990 370 620 
			 2007 20,010 10,210 9,800 10,100 5,910 4,190 1,030 410 620 
			 2008 20,470 10,490 9,990 10,350 5,780 4,570 1,060 410 650 
			 2009 19,700 9,590 10,120 9,760 4,940 4,820 1,060 410 650 
			 2010 17,330 7,140 10,190 8,620 3,580 5,040 950 300 650 
			 Source: DWP accounting and statistical data. 
		
	
	
		
			 Incapacity benefit (IB)/severe disablement allowance (SDA) caseload (credits only cases): Primary health condition by duration of current claim: February 2001 to February 2010 
			 Primary health condition by duration of current claim—caseload in payment 
			  Alcoholism Drug abuse Obesity 
			 As at February each year Total Under 5 years 5 years and over Total Under 5 years 5 years and over Total Under 5 years 5 years and over 
			 2001 21,830 15,540 6,290 27,710 23,250 4,450 670 440 220 
			 2002 23,490 15,800 7,700 30,890 25,100 5,790 710 440 270 
			 2003 25,200 15,830 9,370 33,810 26,410 7,400 740 410 330 
			 2004 26,760 16,030 10,730 35,660 26,770 8,890 790 430 360 
			 2005 28,330 16,480 11,840 37,640 27,260 10,380 830 430 400 
			 2006 29,510 16,500 13,010 38,440 26,600 11,830 890 430 460 
			 2007 30,970 17,100 13,870 39,330 26,150 13,180 930 460 470 
			 2008 32,600 18,190 14,410 40,940 26,520 14,420 990 480 510 
			 2009 31,550 16,700 14,850 37,130 21,680 15,440 1,040 500 540 
			 2010 27,420 12,050 15,370 31,220 14,640 16,580 950 390 560 
			 Source: DWP accounting and statistical data. 
		
	
	
		
			 Incapacity benefit (IB)/severe disablement allowance (SDA) expenditure: Primary health condition by duration of current claim: February 2001 to February 2010 
			 £ million 
			 Primary health condition by duration of current claim—annual expenditure 
			  Alcohol abuse Drug abuse Obesity 
			 As at February each year Total Under 5 years 5 years and over Total Under 5 years 5 years and over Total Under 5 years 5 years and over 
			 2001 58 35 23 24 18 5 4 2 2 
			 2002 62 35 27 27 20 7 4 2 2 
			 2003 67 36 30 33 24 9 4 1 2 
			 2004 69 36 33 37 26 10 4 1 3 
			 2005 74 38 36 40 28 12 4 1 3 
			 2006 78 39 39 42 28 14 4 1 3 
			 2007 83 41 43 44 27 17 4 2 3 
			 2008 87 42 45 45 26 20 5 2 3 
			 2009 87 42 45 46 24 21 5 2 3 
			 2010 83 39 45 43 21 22 4 2 3 
			 Notes: 1. Expenditure is estimated using the relevant average weekly payment of incapacity benefit (IB) or severe disablement allowance (SDA). 2. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest £ million. 4. Credits only cases are those where the claimant is not entitled to receive any incapacity benefit (IB) but receives a credit towards their national insurance. 5. Primary health condition: Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. 6. To qualify for incapacity benefit (IB), claimants have to undertake an assessment of incapacity for work called a personal capability assessment. The medical condition recorded on the claim form does not itself confer entitlement to IB/SDA. 7. Medical condition is based on evidence provided at the start of the claim and may not represent a claimant's most recent medical condition. Where someone has more than one diagnosis or disabling condition, only the predominant one is currently recorded. 8. Incapacity Benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) for new claims from October 2008. Source: DWP accounting and statistical data.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many full-time equivalent staff were employed on consultancy contracts in her Department on the latest date for which figures are available; how many such staff were employed on the same date 12 months ago; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Penning: My Department did not employ any staff on consultancy contracts on 30 November 2012, the latest date for which figures are available, and no such staff were employed on the same date in 2011.

Employment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many people who work in the Republic of Ireland live in Northern Ireland;
	(2)  how many people who work in Northern Ireland live in the Republic of Ireland.

Michael Penning: My Department does not keep these statistics. My hon. Friend might wish to contact the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency to see if it holds the information he requires.

ICT

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from her Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Penning: No computers, mobile telephones, Blackberrys or other items of IT equipment were reported lost or stolen from my Department during 2010-11 or 2011-12.

Pay

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was paid in (a) year end and (b) in-year bonuses to officials in her Department in each of the last two years.

Michael Penning: During the reporting year 2010-11, a total of £22,200 was paid to officials in my Department in respect of performance related pay at the end of the reporting year; and £13,650 was paid during the course of the year under the Reward and Recognition scheme. The corresponding figures for the reporting year 2011-12, were £15,100 and £11,775 respectively.

Senior Civil Servants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what proportion of senior civil servants have left (a) her Department and (b) each of the public bodies for which she is responsible since May 2010; what the rate of turnover of senior civil servants has been in (i) her Department and (ii) each such body since May 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Penning: Since May 2010, 11 senior civil servants left the Northern Ireland Office and its public bodies. Of these, four retired; two returned to their parent organisation as their period of secondment/loan to the NIO came to an end; two began secondment/loan with other organisations; one left at the end of a fixed term contract and two transferred to the Northern Ireland civil service. The monthly breakdown is as follows:
	May 2010: One retired; One went on loan to another Government Department;
	June 2010: One left at the end of their fixed term contract;
	June 2011: One went on loan to another Government Department;
	September 2011: One left at the end of their secondment;
	October 2011: One left at the end of their loan;
	November 2011: One retired;
	December 2011: One retired;
	March 2012: One retired at end of loan period;
	September 2012: Two, already on secondment, left the Department when they opted to transfer to the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
	In 2010, there were 13 senior civil servants in the NIO; the rate of turnover at that time would be calculated at 23%. In 2011, there were 11 senior civil servants in the NIO; the rate of turnover at that time would be calculated at 45%. As of 30 November 2012, we have employed 13 senior civil servants in the NIO; the rate of turnover at that time would be calculated at 23%.

Sick Leave

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 9 November 2012, Official Report, column 804W, on sick leave, what assessment she has made of the difference in the proportion of working days lost due to ill health between officers at AA grade and at SCS grade; and what assessment she has made of the use of mindfulness-based therapies in reducing the proportion of working days lost in her Department.

Michael Penning: Each occurrence of sick leave in my Department is managed on a case-by-case basis in line with existing policies and procedures. No specific assessment has been made of the difference in the proportion of working days lost due to ill health between officers at AA grade and at SCS grade, or of the use of mindfulness-based therapies.

Surveys

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will place in the Library a copy of the results of her Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was.

Michael Penning: The Civil Service People Survey, coordinated by the Cabinet Office, took place in October 2012. Departments are due to publish their results by 31 January 2013. A copy of the results for my Department will be placed in the Library at that time.
	The survey was delivered for the three Territorial Offices (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) by the Ministry of Justice who provided a generic version of the survey in order to keep costs to a minimum. While the costs of the 2012 survey are not yet available, the total cost of the survey for the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Offices in 2011 was £4,073 (excluding VAT).

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

African Union

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Chairman of the African Union.

Mark Simmonds: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), wrote to congratulate Dr Zuma on her recent appointment to the position of African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson. The Minister for Africa briefly met Dr Zuma at the UN General Assembly in September before she took up her position and plans to attend the AU Summit in January. In addition, UK officials have engaged with Dr Zuma on a number of occasions when she has met AU Partners or UN Security Council members on key African issues.

African Union

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to address the African Union.

Mark Simmonds: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), wrote to congratulate Dr Zuma on her recent appointment to the position of African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson. The Minister for Africa plans to attend the AU summit in January. In addition, UK officials have engaged with Dr Zuma on a number of occasions when she has met AU Partners or UN Security Council members on key African issues.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent on the maintenance of UK assets on the British Indian Ocean Territory in each of the last three financial years, by sector.

Mark Simmonds: The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Administration spent £11,330.33 in financial year 2011-12, £8,137.04 in financial year 2010-11 and £6,230.59 in financial year 2009-10 on the maintenance of UK assets in BIOT. All costs relate to the maintenance of official vehicles in the territory.

Counter-terrorism

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding from his Department's counter terrorism programme has been spent in each country in the last year.

Alistair Burt: Our overseas counter terrorism (CT) priorities are driven by a comprehensive analysis across Government of the threat to the UK and our interests. We are rigorous in ensuring that our CT priorities and projects reflect current analysis of the threat. This means our spending, and our intensive diplomatic efforts, are concentrated in countries and regions such as Pakistan, Afghanistan. Yemen, Somalia and East Africa. The CT programme budget for financial year 2012-13 is £36 million. Given the sensitive nature of our CT activities, however, we cannot provide details of actual spend on activity in particular countries.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo's mandate; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: The UK fully supports the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission (MONUSCO), the primary objective of which is to protect civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We are discussing in New York how we can ensure MONUSCO has what it needs to continue to protect civilians and to assist in bringing about an end to the current crisis.

Diplomatic Service

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to increase the number of honorary consul-generals in those countries where there is no permanent UK diplomatic representation.

Mark Simmonds: We regularly review the services offered by our global network to ensure they continue to meet our customer and business needs. This includes reviewing how we deliver on the key aspects of our work overseas, and the resources required to do so. We introduce new resources whenever there is a business need to do so. be that in the form of permanent staff or honorary consuls.

Diplomatic Service

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how many (a) A and (b) B grade staff of his Department he plans to employ in overseas UK Missions from 2013 onwards;
	(2)  by what proportion he plans to reduce the number of A and B grade staff of his Department based overseas from 2012;
	(3)  how many (a) A and (b) B grade staff of his Department have been deployed overseas in UK Missions in each year since 2010.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is changing the way we support the work of our diplomats in our overseas missions. In the majority of places overseas, we will no longer require UK-based staff to perform administrative activity. As a result, some of these positions will be localised; some will be abolished because we will do things differently; and some of them will be reconfigured into other jobs.
	The FCO had the following number of A and B staff serving overseas:
	565 on 31 March 2010
	509 on 31 March 2011
	469 on 31 March 2012
	354 of these positions are in scope for the band A and B programme. We aim to reduce the number of A and B positions, in scope for the A and B programme, by 85%. By 2015, there will be approximately 50 positions remaining.

EU Internal Trade

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the UK's priorities are for the completion of the single market.

David Lidington: The UK, along with likeminded member states, is taking a lead to drive forward work on deepening the single market. This includes pushing for completion of the single market in digital, services and energy. For example, we are supporting the proposals on the digital single market in the Commission's recent Single Market Act II, but are also looking to go beyond them where we can.
	This also means improving the operation of the single market by reducing the regulatory budget. We have secured agreement that there will be an assumption that micro businesses will be exempt from EU regulations and, most recently, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has, along with 12 member states’ Ministers, proposed a 10 point plan to deliver smarter regulation in the EU.
	The Government is firmly committed to expanding opportunities for UK businesses through free trade agreements. Such an agreement is now in place with South Korea, negotiations are ongoing with Canada, the Philippines and other countries, and just last month the EU agreed a negotiating mandate for discussions with Japan.

Israel

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect of an EU trade boycott on Israel.

Alistair Burt: The British Government has made its position on boycotts and sanctions clear. We do not believe that imposing sanctions on Israel or supporting anti-Israeli boycotts would be productive. However, we will continue to make our views on the full range of issues absolutely clear to Israel.

Israel

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to not recall the ambassador to Israel.

Alistair Burt: We have not recalled the UK's ambassador to Israel. However, I formally summoned the Israeli ambassador to the UK on 3 December to convey the depth of our concern about the Israeli Government's decision to build 3,000 new housing units in east Jerusalem and the west bank, to unfreeze planning in E1 area and to withhold tax revenue from the Palestinian Authority. We have called on the Israeli Government to reverse these decisions.
	Any decision about any other measures the UK might take will depend on the outcome of our discussions with the Israeli government and with international partners including the US and EU.

Mali

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the African Union's Economic Community of West African States plan in northern Mali; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: We received a copy of the joint Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)/African Union (AU) Strategic Concept on 10 October. The Strategic Concept provides a framework for further regional action in Mali. It outlines proposals for supporting the Malian armed forces in returning Northern Mali to Government control and combating terrorist and affiliated groups through training and other forms of assistance. It also underlines the importance of a complimentary political track in Mali to support reunification.
	We are considering what support we can offer to ECOWAS and AU efforts in Mali, in conjunction with international partners and through the EU and UN. The UN Secretary-General's Report on the Sahel, which should guide the UN response to the Strategic Concept, will be discussed by the Security Council in New York on 10 December.

Middle East

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support he has given to the proposed conference on a Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone.

Alistair Burt: The Government has taken its role as co-convenor of the Conference on a Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone very seriously. We have provided support to the work of the facilitator Finnish Under Secretary Laajava, with whom UK Ministers have met on a number of occasions to discuss progress. Officials have travelled to the region, and our embassies have worked to promote constructive engagement. We have funded and participated in a series of related civil society organised events over the past two years.

Middle East

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether Israel can occupy Gaza and the West Bank indefinitely or whether there will come a time when they become part of de jure Israel.

Alistair Burt: Gaza and the West Bank were not lawfully part of the state of Israel at its creation or at any point thereafter, and we consider that the level of control that Israel retains over the territories amounts to occupation under international law. The Supreme Court of Israel has found that the West Bank is held in belligerent occupation, by Israel, and, furthermore, the International Court of Justice has held that the West Bank and East Jerusalem are occupied territories, to which the Fourth Geneva convention applies. UN Security Council Resolution 242 stresses
	“the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war and the need to work for a just and lasting peace in which every state in the area can live in security”.
	The continued occupation of Gaza and the West Bank is not sustainable. We continue to press for-an urgent return to credible negotiations in order to secure a two state solution. This is the only way to deliver a lasting peace.

Middle East

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the level of Iranian involvement in the provision of advanced weaponry to Hamas.

Alistair Burt: Iran does provide support, including weaponry, to militant groups such as Hamas. Such support is unacceptable and in direct contravention of the UN embargo on the export of weapons by Iran (UN Security Council Resolution 1747). Iran's support to these groups directly undermines prospects for peace in the region and further undermines the Iranian Government's claim to the international community, and its own people, that it supports stability in the middle east.

Middle East

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the steps taken by the Israeli Prime Minister to initiate a series of confidence building measures on the position of the Palestinian Authority.

Alistair Burt: We have urged both sides to engage in negotiations for a two state solution and avoid any actions that undermine the peace process. We have made clear to the Israeli Government we would not support any actions which sidelined President Abbas or risked collapse of the Palestinian Authority. In this regard, we have condemned the Israeli Government's decisions to build 3,000 new housing units in East Jerusalem and the west bank, to unfreeze planning in the area known as E1 and to withhold tax revenue from the Palestinian Authority. We have called on the Israeli Government to reverse these decisions. I formally summoned the Israeli ambassador to the UK to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 3 December, to make our concerns known.

Middle East

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Palestinian Authority to return to direct peace talks with the Israeli Government without preconditions.

Alistair Burt: This is a point that we have underlined to the Palestinian Authority on a regular basis. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), also discussed these issues with President Abbas in advance of the recent Palestinian resolution at the UN General Assembly on 29 November.

Middle East

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the number of civilian casualties on both sides of the recent hostilities between Israel and Gaza.

Alistair Burt: We received regular reports from our missions in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem during the recent Gaza conflict drawing on local reporting and wide ranging contacts. We understand that 158 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed.

Omar al-Bashir

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the International Criminal Court arrest warrant of Omar al-Bashir; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: We continue to make clear to the Government of Sudan and the international community that we expect compliance with the arrest warrants for all those indicted by the International Criminal Court, and that equally we expect other Governments which are parties to the Rome Statute to stand by their legal obligations as we do. In common with other EU countries, we have a policy of avoiding any official contacts with those indicted by the International Criminal Court, unless such contact is essential.

Overseas Workers

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which countries staff of his Department are permanently based.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has employees permanently based in 160 countries and overseas territories. These are as follows:
	Afghanistan
	Albania
	Algeria
	Angola
	Anguilla
	Argentina
	Armenia
	Ascension
	Australia
	Austria
	Azerbaijan
	Bahrain
	Bangladesh
	Barbados
	Belarus
	Belgium
	Belize
	Bermuda
	Bolivia
	Bosnia and Herzegovina
	Botswana
	Brazil
	British Virgin Islands
	Brunei
	Bulgaria
	Burma
	Cambodia
	Cameroon
	Canada
	Cayman Islands
	Chile
	China
	Colombia
	Congo, Republic of the
	Congo, The Democratic Republic of the
	Costa Rica
	Cote d'Ivoire
	Croatia
	Cuba
	Cyprus
	Czech Republic
	Denmark
	Dominican Republic
	Ecuador
	Egypt
	El Salvador
	Eritrea
	Estonia
	Ethiopia
	Falklands
	Fiji
	Finland
	France
	Gambia
	Georgia
	Germany
	Ghana
	Gibraltar
	Greece
	Guatemala
	Guinea
	Guyana
	Holy See
	Hungary
	Iceland
	India
	Indonesia
	Iraq
	Ireland
	Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories
	Italy
	Jamaica
	Japan
	Jordan
	Kazakhstan
	Kenya
	Kosovo
	Kuwait
	Kyrgyzstan
	Laos
	Latvia
	Lebanon
	Liberia
	Libya
	Lithuania
	Luxembourg
	Macedonia
	Madagascar
	Malawi
	Malaysia
	Mali
	Malta
	Mauritius
	Mexico
	Moldova
	Mongolia
	Montenegro
	Montserrat
	Morocco
	Mozambique
	Namibia
	Nepal
	Netherlands
	New Zealand
	Nigeria
	North Korea
	Norway
	Oman
	Pakistan
	Panama
	Papua New Guinea
	Peru
	Philippines
	Pitcairn
	Poland
	Portugal
	Qatar
	Romania
	Russia
	Rwanda
	Saint Lucia
	Saudi Arabia
	Senegal
	Serbia
	Seychelles
	Sierra Leone
	Singapore
	Slovakia
	Slovenia
	Solomon Islands
	South Africa
	South Korea
	South Sudan
	Spain
	Sri Lanka
	St Helena
	Sudan
	Sweden
	Switzerland
	Taiwan
	Tajikistan
	Tanzania
	Thailand
	Trinidad and Tobago
	Tristan da Cunha
	Tunisia
	Turks and Caicos
	Turkey
	Turkmenistan
	Uganda
	Ukraine
	United Arab Emirates
	United States of America
	Uruguay
	Uzbekistan
	Venezuela
	Vietnam
	Yemen
	Zambia
	Zimbabwe.
	Three new embassies in the following countries are expected to open spring 2013:
	Haiti, Paraguay and Somalia.
	Embassies in Syria and Iran are closed at present.

Pay

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's annual spending was on salaries and bonuses for staff as a (a) net amount and (b) percentage of the total in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) annual spend on salaries as reported in its annual report and accounts in each of the last five years was:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2007/08 390,497,000 
			 2008/09 368,712,000 
		
	
	
		
			 2009/10 386,713,000 
			 2010/11 390,809,000 
			 2011/12 379,941,000 
		
	
	These figures include the costs of salaries for all UK based staff including those employed at Wilton Park Executive Agency and all locally engaged staff directly employed by embassies and high commissions overseas. The amount spent on performance related payments (bonuses) to UK based staff has been deducted from these figures. It is not possible to split the figures into separate amounts or identify performance related payments made to locally engaged staff due to disproportionate cost.
	The amounts spent on performance related payments in each of the last five years was:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2007/08 7,746,152 
			 2008/09 7,571,836 
			 2009/10 6,815,907 
			 2010/11 6,417,883 
			 2011/12 6,241,528 
		
	
	These figures are for UK based staff including the Wilton Park Executive Agency.
	The spend on salaries as a percentage of net operating cost in each of the last five years was:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 2007/08 20.1 
			 2008/09 17.1 
			 2009/10 16.5 
			 2010/11 17.1 
			 2011/12 16.7 
		
	
	The spend on performance related payments as a percentage of net operating cost in each of the last five years was:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 2007/08 0.0040 
			 2008/09 0.0035 
			 2009/10 0.0029 
			 2010/11 0.0028 
			 2011/12 0.0028

Sudan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the relationship between Sudan and the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: The UK wishes to see Sudan develop into a stable, democratic and prosperous nation, that addresses the needs of all its citizens, and lives in peace with its neighbours. The UK's relationship with Sudan is based on the pursuit of these objectives. To this end, we will continue to encourage Sudan to address the causes of the conflicts in Darfur, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile and to start a process of national reform, taking into account the needs and aspirations of all of the people living within its borders, and from all religious backgrounds, within an open and democratic framework.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the (a) status and (b) progress of the civil recovery programme in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Mark Simmonds: The civil recovery team, provided by Edwards Wildman Palmer UK LLP, are supporting the work of the Turks and Caicos Islands Attorney-General.
	The civil recovery team continues to recover property and redress loses arising from corruption. Some 52 separate recoveries of Crown Land totalling 2,447 acres have now been made, and financial settlements totalling US$16 million have been reached.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with businesses in Turks and Caicos on the introduction of VAT in that country.

Mark Simmonds: During my recent visit to the Turks and Caicos Islands on 26-28 November, I met a number of businesses and business organisations. At many of my meetings, VAT was one of the topics discussed.
	Decisions on the implementation of VAT are a matter for the Turks and Caicos Islands Government. My answer of 19 November 2012, Official Report, column C277-78W, to the hon. Member for Central Ayrshire (Mr Donohoe), sets out the British Government's position.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the funding of the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team in Turks and Caicos; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: It is the responsibility of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government to fund the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team.
	In his reply of 25 April 2012, Official Report, column 945-46W, my hon. Friend the Member for North West Norfolk (Mr Bellingham) made reference to the grants made exceptionally by the British Government in financial years 2010-11 and 2011-12 to assist the Turks and Caicos Islands Government with the costs of the criminal investigation and associated prosecutions.
	The Governor made a statement on 29 October on the continuing work on the civil and criminal processes:
	www.turksandcaicosislands.fco.gov.uk/en/news/?view=PressS&id=827913882
	in which he pointed to a planned decline in staffing levels in the Special Prosecution and Investigation Team and a consequent reduction in costs.
	We would expect future costs to be met by the Turks and Caicos Islands Government.

Western Sahara

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Moroccan Ambassador on the Western Sahara; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has not made any representations to the Moroccan ambassador on Western Sahara. However, Ministers in this Government and our ambassador in Rabat regularly discuss Western Sahara with the Moroccan authorities: I discussed Western Sahara with Minister Delegate for Foreign Affairs, Youssef Amrani, when I visited Rabat between 26 and 28 June.
	This Government strongly supports UN-led efforts to encourage Morocco and the Polisario Front to agree a long-lasting and mutually-acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

Western Sahara

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to promote good governance in the self-declared sovereign state of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

Alistair Burt: Western Sahara is a disputed territory and the UK regards its status as undetermined. The UK's focus is on supporting UN-led efforts to encourage Morocco and the Polisario Front to agree a long-lasting and mutually-acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. This mandate will support the promotion of good governance in the territory.

Western Sahara

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to visit the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has no plans currently to visit the territory of Western Sahara. Officials from the British embassy in Rabat visit Western Sahara on a regular basis, most recently in October, to discuss human rights concerns, including with the local authorities.

Western Sahara

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the UK's relationship with the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The British Government does not have direct contact with the Polisario Front. It strongly supports UN-led efforts to encourage the parties to the negotiations, Morocco and the Polisario Front, to agree a long-lasting and mutually-acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Sick Leave

David Ruffley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average number of working days lost per person through ill health was in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies in each of the last five years.

Francis Maude: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	Analysis of the average working days lost for the Cabinet Office and its agencies is published on a quarterly basis on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/absence-data
	Aggregated figures for the whole civil service are published on the civil service website at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/improving/health-and-wellbeing/sickness-absence

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Advantage West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the cost of transferring ownership of Bilston Urban Village in Wolverhampton from Advantage West Midlands to the Housing and Communities Agency.

Mark Prisk: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	The site was transferred under a statutory transfer scheme signed in August 2011 which, under machinery of government transfer processes, means that the Homes and Communities Agency took over the full responsibility for the site from Advantage West Midlands as if the Homes and Communities Agency had been the owners of the asset since its acquisition. There was, therefore, no stamp duty, legal or other transaction costs incurred by the Homes and Communities Agency or Advantage West Midlands in this transfer.
	The budget for the project was transferred to the Homes and Communities Agency and no additional costs were incurred by the agency that would not have been the liability of Advantage West Midlands at the time of transfer.
	I also refer the hon. Member to my answers of 6 December 2012, Official Report, columns 891-92W, on how the new stewardship arrangements are delivering value for money for taxpayers and meeting the legal commitments we have inherited from the last Administration.

Apprentices: East of England

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship places there were in (a) Southend, (b) Essex and (c) Hertfordshire in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012 to date.

Matthew Hancock: The following table shows the number of Apprenticeship programme starts in Southend on Sea, Essex and Hertfordshire local education authorities. Final data are shown for the 2009/10 and 2010/11 academic years and provisional data are shown for the 2011/12 academic year.
	Provisional data for the 2011/12 academic year provide an early view of performance and will change as further data returns are received from further education colleges and providers. They should not be directly compared with final year data from previous years. Figures for 2011/12 will be finalised in January 2013.
	
		
			 Apprenticeship programme starts in Southend on Sea, Essex and Hertfordshire local education authorities, 2009/10 to 2011/12 (Provisional) 
			  2009/10 (final) 2010/11 (final) 2011/12 (provisional) 
			 Southend on Sea 640 1,150 1,170 
			 Essex 6,410 10,930 11,590 
			 Hertfordshire 3,320 6,440 6,670 
			 Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Geographic breakdowns are based upon the home postcode of the learner. 3. Figures are based on the geographic boundaries as of May 2010. 4. Provisional data for 2011/12 should not be directly compared with data for earlier years. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by geography is published in a supplementary table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 11 October 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statistical firstrelease/sfr_current http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/ statistical firstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/Apprenticeship _sfr_supplementary_tables/

Arms Trade: Exports

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which countries the UK has sold defence equipment to in each financial year since 2000-01 by value.

Michael Fallon: Information on arms export licences to all countries is published in the Annual and Quarterly Reports on Strategic Export Controls. These reports contain detailed information on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination, including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. They are available to view at:
	https://www.exportcontroldb.bis.gov.uk/eng/fox/sdb/SDBHOME
	Currently this includes information up to 30 June 2012. Information covering 1 July to 30 September 2012 will be published in January 2013 and information covering 1 October 2012 to 31 December 2012 will be published in April 2013.

Business: Loans

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he made of changes in the rate of net lending to businesses in the last year.

Michael Fallon: Business lending comes from a variety of sources, including providers of asset, invoice and trade finance, bank lending, overdrafts and trade credit. Many of these sources are informal and unregulated and Government does not produce aggregate statistics on their entirety.
	Data publicly available from the Bank of England specifically on lending by Monetary Financial Institutions shows that the monthly growth rate of net lending (excluding securitisations) to non-financial corporations varied over the last year as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 November 2011 0.3 
			 December 2011 -1.7 
			 January 2012 0.6 
			 February 2012 -0.2 
			 March 2012 -0.1 
			 April 2012 -0.3 
			 May 2012 -0.7 
			 June 2012 -0.2 
			 July 2012 -0.4 
			 August 2012 -0.2 
			 September 2012 0.0 
			 October 2012 0.0 
			   
			 12 month growth rate as at October 2012 -2.8 
		
	
	To incentivise banks and building societies to boost their lending to UK households and non-financial companies, the Bank and HM Treasury launched the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) on 13 July. FLS provides funding to banks and building societies for an extended period, at below current elevated market rates, with both the price and quantity of funding provided linked to their performance in lending to the UK non-financial sector.

Charities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department allocated to (a) Centrepoint, (b) Crisis, (c) Skill Force and (d) Shelter in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: Core BIS has not paid any amounts to (a) Centrepoint, (b) Crisis, (c) Skill Force and (d) Shelter in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13 (up to the end of November 2012).

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many full-time equivalent staff were employed on consultancy contracts in his Department on the latest date for which figures are available; how many such staff were employed on the same date 12 months ago; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: This information is not held centrally within the Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Exports: Iraq

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which exports from the construction and equipment sector account for Iraq's sovereign debt to UK Export Finance.

Michael Fallon: UK Export Finance, formally the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD), has published information, available in the House Library, about sovereign debts payable to ECGD, including details of sovereign debts related to Iraq that arose as a result of its default on the payment of exports supplied in the 1970s and 1980s. The information shows that 69% of the value of debt related to exports from the construction and equipment sectors. It is not possible to provide details of individual export transactions, where such information exists, as this would incur disproportionate cost.

Fireworks: Safety

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps have been taken to educate people about the dangers of fireworks.

Jo Swinson: The Department has taken no recent proactive steps to educate people about the dangers of fireworks, however, information about fireworks safety is readily available on the BIS website:
	www.bis.gov.uk/policies/consumer-issues/product-safety/firework-regulations
	The range of materials held there is accessible to the public and is used by local fire and rescue services, police forces, schools and local authority enforcers to promote firework safety messages. Included in the literature are school information packs, posters aimed at children and teenagers, and a guide and posters for retailers.
	Detailed guides on '’Giving your own firework display’ and ‘Working together on firework displays: A guide to safety for firework display organisers and Operators’ are available on the Health and Safety Executive website at:
	www.hse.gov.uk

Higher Education: Admissions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) funded, (b) off quota and (c) private student places for (i) full-time students and (ii) part-time students there were in (A) 2010-11 and (B) 2011-12; how many such places he expects there to be in each remaining year of the comprehensive spending review period; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Information on the number of Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) fundable full-time and part-time students are shown in the following table. The Department does not set targets or limits for the number of off quota or private student places.
	
		
			 Number of HEFCE fundable students split by mode of attendance 
			 Thousand 
			  2010/11 2011/12 
			 Full-time HEFCE fundable 972 1,017 
			 Part-time HEFCE fundable 387 372 
		
	
	
		
			 Total 1,359 1,389 
			 Source: HESES and HEIFES 
		
	
	The Department sets a limit on the number of students starting full-time undergraduate and PGCE study through the Student Number Control for English Higher Education Institutions. It does not set limits for the stock of full-time and part-time students. 2012/13 data will become available when institutions make their HESES returns to HEFCE in mid-December.

ICT

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: During the financial year period 2010-11 and 2011-12, the number of items considered lost or stolen is listed as follows. It is not possible to differentiate between lost or stolen items. All IT items issued by the Department are encrypted and once reported as stolen or lost are disabled to ensure no data is compromised.
	
		
			  Type Lost/stolen 
			 (i) 2010-11   
			 (a) Computers BIS networked laptop 8 
			  BIS laptop 1 
			 (b) Mobile phones BIS mobile phone 5 
			 (c) BlackBerrys BIS BlackBerry 24 
			 (d) Other IT Items BIS Remote Service (RSA) token 32 
			  BIS Remote Service (RITE) token 35 
			  BIS 3G Token/Card/Dongle 2 
			  BIS issued Braille note taker 2 
			  USB Memory Stick 2 
			    
			 (ii) 2011-12   
			 (a) Computers BIS networked laptop 7 
			 (b) Mobile phones BIS mobile phone 4 
			 (c) BlackBerrys BIS BlackBerry 35 
			 (d) Other IT items BIS Remote Service (RSA) token 19 
			  BIS Remote Service (RITE) token 35 
			  BIS 3G Token/Card/Dongle 2

Local Economic Partnerships: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of jobs the London local economic partnership has created (a) in total, (b) in North West London, (c) in South West London, (d) in North East London and (e) in South East London in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; how many such jobs will be created in 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has made no estimate of the number of jobs that the London enterprise panel created in 2010 to 2012, nor has any estimate been made of how many jobs will be created by the London enterprise panel in 2012-13.

Local Economic Partnerships: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his evaluation of the London local economic partnership is; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has made no evaluation of the London enterprise panel. As partnerships of business and civic leaders, local enterprise partnerships are first and foremost accountable to their local community and local businesses. In the case of London, the London enterprise panel is an advisory panel to the Mayor of London.

Local Economic Partnerships: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department has allocated to London for its local economic partnership in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: In order to help local enterprise partnerships understand the issues facing businesses in their areas and to allow them to develop and prioritise action plans, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has made available a £4 million Capacity Fund (£1 million per year over four years). The London enterprise panel declined an award from the first round of the Capacity Fund and has been allocated £76,800 for the period 2012-15 from the second round of funding.

Marketing

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department and the public bodies for which it is responsible spent on marketing and advertising in 2011-12 by (a) programme, (b) policy and (c) scheme; and what estimate he has made of such spending in each such category in 2012-13.

Jo Swinson: holding answer 1 November 2012
	Our 2011-12 annual report and accounts shows that total expenditure on advertising and publicity by BIS and its partner organisations (but excluding UK trade and Investment) amounted to £19 million in 2011-12 (£18 million in 2010-11).
	In 2011-12 the BIS family (excluding UKTI) had £20.8 million of expenditure on advertising and marketing approved within ERG spending control processes. Within this total ail spend over £100,000 was approved by the ERG in accordance with the Government-wide spending controls. Expenditure under £100,000 was approved by BIS and its partner bodies in line with guidelines issued by ERG.
	The £20.8 million 2011-12 expenditure is broken down in the following table
	
		
			 Policy group area Expenditure  (£ million) Additional information where total includes new spend over £0.5 million 
			 Knowledge and Innovation 9.5 £2.4 million on communicating the reforms to student finance 
			   £1.1 million on promoting science in society 
			   £1 million on the National Careers Service 
			 Business and Skills 7.2 £2.6 million on the “Make it in Great Britain” showcase 
			   £1 million on Business in You campaign 
			   £0.7 million on the World Skills event 
			   £1.5 million on the National Apprenticeships Service 
			 Market Frameworks 3.2 £1.9 million Insolvency Service statutory press advertising 
			 Other 0.9 — 
			 Total 20.8 — 
		
	
	In 2012-13 we are currently forecasting expenditure of c.£26 million—all of which will be subject to the Government's spending controls processes, including approval by ERG where expenditure is over £100,000 and approved by BIS and its partner organisations in line with guidelines issued by ERG where expenditure is under £100,000.
	The ERG process seeks to ensure the highest standards of value for money are maintained. We have identified a number of priority communications activities connected with promoting growth for the financial year 2012-13 including:
	Supporting policies designed to boost enterprise and manufacturing;
	Continuing to inspire public and business confidence in science and increased study of STEM subjects;
	Promoting skills and training;
	Supporting the construction of a positive environment for business, employees and consumers.
	Details of expenditure by policy Group for 2011-12 and forecasts for 2012-13 are provided based on the data we hold with respect to the Efficiency and Reform Group (ERG) spending control processes. There are small discrepancies between these figures and those shown in our accounts, for example, because the ERG approves budgets and the accounts show actual spend. There are also some definitional differences. Information at the level of detail covering individual schemes is not held centrally and could not be provided except at disproportionate cost.

National Trading Standards Board

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding the National Trading Standards Board received for (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) each future year of the comprehensive spending review period; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: The National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) began operating on 1 April 2012. The Department has allocated the NTSB £9,679,000 in grant funding for 2012-13. The NTSB have been given an indicative budget of £11,049,000 for 2013-14. We have not yet agreed budgets for subsequent years.
	In 2011-12, a grant of £70,000 was made available to put in place arrangements for the transition of BIS-funded consumer enforcement projects to the NTSB, in preparation for operation on 1 April 2012.

Parking

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what contracts for providing car park management services to his Department are held by private companies;
	(2)  what the total value is of any contracts between his Department and private companies for car park management services in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) South Lanarkshire local authority area.

Jo Swinson: The total value for providing car park management services is nil.
	There are no specific contracts held with private companies for providing car park management services to the Department. The Department has a total facilities management contract with a commercial company to manage the BIS properties which includes the management of staff car parks for BIS staff.

Post Offices: Closures

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many post offices in (a) Essex, (b) Greater London and (c) England and Wales closed in each year between 1997 and 2010.

Jo Swinson: The information requested is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the chief executive officer of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	However, the hon. Member will be interested to note the Government has made a number of commitments that maintain and modernise the Post Office network, including a specific promise that there will be no programme of branch closures. In 2011/12 there was a net national reduction of just two branches in a network of more than 11,800, meaning the Post Office network is at its most stable for over a quarter of a century.

Senior Civil Servants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of senior civil servants have left (a) his Department and (b) each of the public bodies for which he is responsible since May 2010; what the rate of turnover of senior civil servants has been in (i) his Department and (ii) each such body since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: Since May 2010, 90 senior civil servants have left core BIS. Their reasons for leaving were recorded as retirement, resignation, end of fixed term contract or transfer to other Government Departments. The turnover of senior civil service level staff in core BIS since May 2010 has been 43%.
	The Department does not hold records on non-departmental public bodies.

Students: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many full-time equivalent students were on (a) taught postgraduate and (b) research degree programmes funded by the Higher Education Funding Council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Information on the estimated number of Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) fundable postgraduate taught (PGT) full-time equivalent students is shown in table 1. Research degree programmes are not included in table 1 as they are reported as non-fundable on the Higher Education Students Early Statistics (HESES) survey. This is because they are funded through quality-related (QR) research funding rather than the teaching funding method. 2012/13 data is not currently available; it will become available when institutions make their HESES returns to HEFCE in mid-December. Different sources have been used to provide information on the number of postgraduate research full-time equivalents, as shown in table 2.
	
		
			 Table 1: Estimated number of taught postgraduate full-time equivalent students 
			  2010/11 2011/12 
			 HEFCE fundable taught postgraduate 88,000 92,000 
			 All taught Postgraduate students 222,000 231,000 
			 Note: The number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) has been estimated using FTE ratios from columns 4 and 4a in HESES. Source: HESES and HEIFES 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of postgraduate research (PGR) FTEs (English Institutions) 
			  Number 
			 Eligible PGR FTEs in 2010-11 funding 39,654 
			 Eligible PGR FTEs in 2011-12 funding 42,686 
			 Eligible PGR FTEs in 2012-13 funding 41,360 
			 Source: Eligible PGR students in years 1 to 3 of full-time study (and part-time equivalent) taken from the 2009 and 2010 HEFCE Research Activity Surveys and 2010/11 HESA record

Surveys

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was.

Jo Swinson: BIS participates in the annual Civil Service People Survey co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office, which measures the attitudes and motivations of our staff. The 2012 Civil Service People Survey ran from 1 October 2012 to 31 October 2012. The Department 2012 results will be made available online by 31 January 2013. There are currently no plans to place a copy of the results in the Library. The cost of the 2012 survey for BIS is estimated to be £12,361.

UK Membership of EU

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the potential cost to the UK and UK business of the UK not being part of the EU single market.

Michael Fallon: The Government maintains the view that membership of the EU (and hence the single market) is in the best interest of the UK. Access to the single market provides UK-based businesses with tariff-free access to a market of around 500 million customers and worth approximately £11 trillion in 2011.
	Being part of the single market enables the UK to influence the rules that govern it, instead of being subject to decisions that would otherwise be out of the UK's control. Between 1992 and 2008, the single market is estimated to have raised EU GDP by 2.13% and created 2.77 million new jobs, and it is estimated that these benefits could be doubled with the removal of the remaining trade barriers.
	European markets count for under half of UK exports of goods and services (47% in 2011). In order to meet the Chancellor of the Exchequer's target of doubling exports to £1 trillion by 2020, the UK will need to increase exports to the EU as well as to other developed and emerging global markets.

UK Membership of EU

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the value of trade arising from the UK's membership of the EU single market.

Michael Fallon: Membership of the EU single market provides UK-based businesses with tariff-free access to a market of around 500 million customers and worth approximately £11 trillion in 2011.
	European markets count for under half (47% in 2011) of UK exports of goods and services, worth approximately £234 billion in 2011. The 2004 and 2007 enlargements of the EU have had a positive effect on the UK's trade with new member states (doubling exports to the EU12 since 2004 to £16.6 billion). The UK has recorded a trade surplus in services with the EU since 2004. In 2011, the UK recorded a net surplus of £15.9 billion.

Unfair Practices

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many prosecutions there were under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) received reports from local authority trading standards officers of 308 prosecutions under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 in the period March to April 2010/11 and 342 in the period March to April 2011/12.
	In addition the OFT receives notification of investigations by trading standards officers of offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 using civil enforcement powers in the Enterprise Act 2002. In the period March to April 2010/11 there were 278 such investigations and 170 in the period March to April 2011/12.

Union of Jewish Students

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received from the Union of Jewish Students; what response his Department gave to such representations; and if he will make a statement. [R]

David Willetts: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 10 December 2012, Official Report, column 30-31W.

CABINET OFFICE

Carers

John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will estimate how many carers are (a) in and (b) not in the labour market in (i) Glasgow North West constituency, (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland and (iv) the UK.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated December 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question.
	ONS compiles Labour Market Statistics following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions for areas smaller than the UK from the Annual Population Survey (APS).
	Unfortunately, the APS does not collect data on the number of carers.

Charities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much funding his Department allocated to (a) Centrepoint, (b) Crisis, (c) Skill Force and (d) Shelter in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The Cabinet Office has not directly funded any of these groups in the years specified.

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many full-time equivalent staff were employed on consultancy contracts in his Department on the latest date for which figures are available; how many such staff were employed on the same date 12 months ago; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: In 2011-12 alone, through the work of Efficiency and Reform Group, Government Departments reduced their spend on consultancy by 85%, saving £1.035 billion compared to 2009-10. This is in addition to £870 million saved on consultancy in 2010-11.
	Consultancy is recorded through contracts rather than the number of FTE staff.
	Any contract for consultancy where the estimated value of the contract exceeds £20,000 must obtain the approval of the Minister for the Cabinet Office. As part of this Government's transparency programme, details of these expenditure approvals are published on:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
	and
	www.data.gov.uk
	Additionally, all new contracts over the value of £10,000 and payments of over £25,000 are published on Contracts Finder:
	www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

Immigration: Commonwealth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how levels of immigration from Commonwealth categories have changed in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many seasonal workers have entered the UK from (a) inside and (b) outside the EU for work over the Christmas period in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated December 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to respond to your recent Parliamentary Questions 1) how levels of immigration from Commonwealth categories have changed in each of the last five years. (131987), and 2) how many seasonal workers have entered the UK from (a) inside and (b) outside the EU for work over the Christmas period in each of the last five years. (131990)
	The Office for National Statistics {ONS) produces estimates of long-term international migration (LTIM). ONS uses the UN definition of a long-term migrant in that a person who changes their country of usual residence for a period of 12 months or more. LTIM data is primarily based on the International Passenger Survey (IPS).
	Long Term International Migration (LTIM) estimates are available on the ONS website:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-280889
	Table 1 provides a summary of immigration from the Commonwealth countries in each of the last five years. This has been taken from Table 2.02 "LTIM Country of Last or Next Residence, 1991-2011", which provides estimates of immigration by country groupings.
	ONS does not collect any information specifically on seasonal workers entering the UK for work over the Christmas period.
	Table 2.02, Series MN
	
		
			 Long-Term International Migration, time series 1991 to 2011, country of last or next residence 
			 Thousand 
			   Commonwealth 
			    Old Commonwealth New Commonwealth 
			  All All All Australia Canada New Zealand South Africa All Other African Indian Subcontinent Other 
			 United Kingdom            
			 Inflow            
			 2007 354 200 65 31 6 10 17 135 24 95 16 
			 2008 366 196 68 29 10 9 20 128 31 80 17 
			 2009 368 204 56 29 8 8 11 148 31 101 16 
			 2010 383 219 57 30 9 11 7 162 23 121 19 
			 2011 363 204 51 26 9 8 8 153 19 122 12 
			             
			 England and Wales            
			 Inflow            
			 2007 330 187 60 29 6 10 15 126 23 88 16 
			 2008 329 183 61 27 6 8 19 122 29 78 16 
			 2009 339 188 46 25 7 6 7 143 30 97 16 
			 2010 353 205 53 28 7 10 7 152 21 114 17 
			 2011 336 191 46 24 8 7 7 145 18 116 11 
			 Notes: 1. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Please note: From 2004 onwards, All, New and Other Commonwealth exclude Malta and Cyprus. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Home Office, Central Statistics Office (CSO) Ireland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)

Internet

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much has been spent on (a) strategy and planning, (b) design and build, (c) hosting and infrastructure, (d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation for his Department's websites in each of the last two years; and how much has been allocated for each such category of expenditure in 2012-13.

Nick Hurd: The information requested is published at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/websitemetrics2011-12.pdf
	and
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/websitemetrics2010-11
	The introduction of GOV.UK is expected to save an estimated £36 million a year. And eventually when all departmental sites are converged into GOV.UK, we expect annual savings of between £50 and £70 million.

Senior Civil Servants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of senior civil servants have left (a) his Department and (b) each of the public bodies for which he is responsible since May 2010; what the rate of turnover of senior civil servants has been in (i) his Department and (ii) each such body since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: The following table sets out the number of senior civil servants (SCS) who left the Cabinet Office and turnover of senior civil servants in the year to the dates shown. It is worth noting that the proportion of SCS turnover since 2010 is considerably less than it was in 2007-08 and in line with the average turnover from 2005 to 2010.
	The nature of much of the work in the Cabinet Office means that there is a high requirement for expertise to be brought in from Government Departments, other parts of the public sector, and in some cases the private sector, to work on changing priorities. Of those senior civil servants that left the Department since 2010, 47% moved elsewhere within Government.
	
		
			  SCS leavers SCS turnover (percentage) 
			 2010-11 47 23 
			 2011-12 61 28 
			 Year to October 2012 28 12 
		
	
	The UK Statistics Authority employs three senior civil servants who have remained in post since May 2010.

Surveys

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office in common with other departments will be publishing survey results on its departmental website. The Cabinet Office results together with the results of its agency, the Government Procurement Service, will be published by 31 December 2012 at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
	The Cabinet Office survey was administered by ORC international and approximately 60% less was spent on surveys than in 2008-09. The cost for my department's survey in 2012 is estimated at £28,337 excluding vat.

DEFENCE

Air Force

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many flying days were lost as a result of (a) adverse weather conditions and (b) other factors at each RAF station since 1 January 2011.

Andrew Robathan: The information requested is not held centrally or in the same format by all RAF Stations and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Available information for entire days of flying lost in the period requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Flying days lost by each RAF station 
			  2011 2012 (1) 
			  Weather Other Weather Other 
			 RAF Benson 0 0 0 0 
			 RAF Coningsby 0 0 1 0 
			 RAF Cranwell 24 5 21 8 
			 RAF Leeming 1 0 1 0 
			 RAF Leuchars 5 0 0 1 
			 RAF Linton-on-Ouse 1 1 7 0 
			 RAF Lossiemouth 3 0 1 0 
			 RAF Lyneham 0 (2)0 n/a n/a 
			 RAF Marham 2 0 1 1 
			 RAF Odiham 0 0 3 1 
			 RAF Shawbury 0 0 0 0 
			 RAF Valley 1 0 1 0 
			 RAF Waddington 0 0 1 0 
			 (1) To date (2 )Closed June 2011 
		
	
	Weather-related reasons which can preclude routine flying in peace-time include low cloud base and high wind, snow, ice and freezing fog. Certain stations with a key operational role have an enhanced level of snow and ice-clearing equipment enabling them to return to flying operations more quickly. Other reasons for lost flying days can include spilt fuel or debris on runways, bird activity, power outage, designated flight safety days.

Devonport Dockyard

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many nuclear-powered submarines can be berthed simultaneously at HM Naval Base Devonport.

Philip Dunne: Up to eight operational submarines can be accommodated at the wharves and jetties at Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Devonport. A further four operational submarines can be accommodated at mooring buoys and anchorages, which are used for temporary berthing in the Naval Base waters. Additional operational submarines can be accommodated at Babcock Marine's collocated dockyard.
	There is also capacity at HMNB Devonport for further nuclear-powered submarines that have left service and are in afloat storage.

European Fighter Aircraft

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it remains his policy that any Typhoon aircraft to be based at RAF Lossiemouth will not require a new air defence training area.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by the previous Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff), on 15 September 2011, Official Report, column 1302W.

European Fighter Aircraft

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what items of mission-specific Typhoon infrastructure have been installed at RAF Leuchars since 12 September 2011; and how much each such item cost.

Andrew Robathan: The project costs of mission specific Typhoon infrastructure where funding has either been committed or installed at RAF Leuchars since 12 September 2011 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Type of infrastructure Cost (£) 
			 Reinstate Southern Aircraft Surfaces Pavement (Funding committed and works ongoing to be complete by January 2013) 100,000 
			 Southern Hardened Aircraft Shelters Upgrade to accommodate 1 Sqn (includes Pilot Briefing Facility) (Funding committed and works ongoing to be complete by March 2013) 158,000 
			 Southern Hardened Aircraft Shelters Door Repairs (complete) 90,000 
			 Note: All figures have been rounded to the nearest £000.

European Fighter Aircraft

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the value for money per training flying hour of Typhoon aircraft (a) currently based at RAF Leuchars and (b) to be based at RAF Lossiemouth.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the right hon. and learned Member to the answer my predecessor, the hon. Member for North Devon (Sir Nick Harvey), gave on 5 September 2011, Official Report, column 76W.

European Fighter Aircraft

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 18 October 2011, Official Report, column 883W, on RAF Lossiemouth, whether a decision has been made on the date of transfer for Northern Quick Reaction Alert duties between RAF Leuchars and RAF Lossiemouth.

Andrew Robathan: I have nothing further to add to the answer given by my predecessor, the hon. Member for North Devon (Sir Nick Harvey), on 18 October 2011, Official Report, column 883W.

European Fighter Aircraft

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 5 September 2011, Official Report, column 84W, on the European Fighter Aircraft, whether (a) the estimate of the cost to the public purse of transferring the Typhoon force from RAF Leuchars to RAF Lossiemouth and (b) the estimate of the cost to the public purse of operating the Typhoon force from (i) RAF Lossiemouth and (ii) RAF Leuchars over a 25-year period have been refined further during detailed planning for the implementation of the Basing Review; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: Planning for the transfer of the Typhoon force from RAF Leuchars is ongoing. An assessment study is under way to identify and refine the infrastructure costs of operating the Typhoon force from RAF Lossiemouth.
	There are no plans to update the comparative costs of operating the Typhoon from the respective sites over 25 years.

Germany

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with other Government departments on the withdrawal of British military bases from Germany.

Andrew Robathan: Ministers and Ministry of Defence officials continue to have regular dialogue with their colleagues in other Government Departments on a range of issues including basing.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reports have been made of illegal incursions of Spanish vessels in the territorial waters of Gibraltar in each of the last two years.

Andrew Robathan: There were 67 recorded instances of unlawful incursions by Spanish state vessels in British Gibraltar territorial waters during 2010 and 23 in 2011. There have been 197 between 1 January and 30 November this year.
	One of the Ministry of Defence's roles in Gibraltar is to help maintain the United Kingdom's sovereignty over British Gibraltar territorial waters. In support of this, the Royal Navy challenges unlawful maritime incursions. These challenges are subsequently pursued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office through formal diplomatic protests to the Spanish Government.

Guided Weapons

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Royal Navy plans to purchase Future Air-to-Surface Guided Weapons (a) heavy and (b) light; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: Main investment decisions are planned for both missiles in 2013.

Military Bases: Scotland

Alistair Darling: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make a decision on the future of Dreghorn and Redford Barracks in Edinburgh and on the development at Kirknewton; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The Chancellor's autumn statement of 5 December 2012, Official Report, columns 871-82, has introduced some additional factors that will need to be taken into account—such as new arrangements for accessing private finance, which could be used to support the Basing strategy. The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has therefore taken the decision to postpone the planned announcement until next year.

Military Exercises

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the Bowline 13 Exercise will take place; what the purpose of the exercise is; and if he will estimate the (a) number of personnel that will be involved and (b) cost to the public purse.

Philip Dunne: Exercise Bowline 13 will be held at the Royal Naval Armament Depot at Coulport. It is a Level 1 Nuclear Emergency Response Exercise and is conducted on a three-yearly cycle under the Radiation Emergency Preparedness and Public Information Regulations legislation.
	The exercise will involve approximately 600 personnel for varying lengths of time, most for a short period.
	There will be no additional cost to the public purse resulting from this exercise as it will be conducted during normal working hours.

Military Intelligence

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made on the replacement for full-spectrum signals intelligence.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has a range of current and planned signals intelligence capabilities across the maritime, land, and air domains. I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Nuclear Weapons: Testing

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on publication of information on levels of (a) gamma, (b) beta, (c) other radiation and (d) radiation recorded on film badges at British nuclear test sites; who within his Department takes the decisions on which such information should be published; and according to what criteria any such decisions are taken.

Philip Dunne: holding answer 29 November 2012
	Documents relating to British nuclear tests have been, and continue to be, opened to the public through the National Archives in accordance with the Public Records Act 1958. Individual requests for information are handled in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Environmental Information Regulations and the Data Protection Act 1998, as appropriate.
	In addition to what is set out in legislation, there is internal Ministry of Defence guidance on recognising and handling the release of information which triggers Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights. This right covers the release of information that relates to concerns an individual may have about the impact on their health or exposure to a potentially hazardous situation.
	Decisions on the release of such information are made by the officials handling individual requests, with approval through their line management chain, and are made in accordance with the relevant legislation. Information on radiation levels and radiation dose levels at the British nuclear tests is routinely released where those records are held, as there are no pressing national security reasons for withholding such information.

RAF Leuchars

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2011, Official Report, column 868W, on RAF Leuchars, whether work to determine what alterations are required to RAF Leuchars to transform it to an operational Army base and the cost of such alterations has been completed; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The Chancellor's autumn statement 5 December 2012, Official Report, columns 871-882, introduced some additional factors that will need to be taken into account in the future basing strategy for Defence, such as the new arrangements for accessing Private Finance. The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has therefore taken the decision to postpone the planned announcement on basing until next year.
	It is therefore too early to confirm what specific alterations would be required at a site or what the associated costs would be as these are dependent upon the types of Army units which will occupy the site.

RAF Leuchars

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when he plans to make an announcement on the future use of RAF Leuchars by his Department;
	(2)  what his plans are for the future of the units currently based at RAF Leuchars; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether he has taken a decision on whether to retain an operational runway at Leuchars in the event of the transformation of the base into an Army base.

Andrew Robathan: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne) autumn statement on 5 December 2012 has introduced some additional factors that will need to be taken into account—such as new arrangements for accessing private finance, which could be used to support the Basing strategy. The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has therefore taken the decision to postpone the planned announcement until next year. It is therefore too early at this time to confirm the future of any specific site or unit.

RAF Leuchars

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 19 October 2011, Official Report, column 993W, on RAF Leuchars, what (a) sustainability and (b) other environmental studies have been carried out as part of the ongoing re-basing process.

Andrew Robathan: Sustainability appraisals and associated action plans are being developed for all sites affected by basing changes, including RAF Leuchars. It is too early at this time to comment on specific details.

RAF Leuchars

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether an Air Traffic Control radar service will be retained at RAF Leuchars.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor, the hon. Member for North Devon (Sir Nick Harvey), on 11 June 2012, Official Report, column 110W.

RAF Lossiemouth and Leuchars

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  on how many occasions aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth were (a) scrambled and (b) launched during the period of time in which RAF Lossiemouth undertook the Quick Reaction Alert North role when resurfacing work was undertaken at RAF Leuchars;
	(2)  on how many occasions RAF fighters were (a) scrambled and (b) launched from (i) RAF Leuchars and (ii) RAF Coningsby to intercept aircraft in each of the last five years.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given on 12 December 2011, Official Report, columns 473-74). RAF Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) aircraft have been launched from all QRA bases on 25 occasions in 2012 as at 6 December 2012.

Type 22 Frigates

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of any capability gaps in maritime surveillance following the withdrawal of the Type 22 frigates; and what steps his Department is taking to address any such gaps.

Philip Dunne: The Type 22 frigates were fitted with equipment that provided maritime surveillance capabilities in a number of areas. Maritime surveillance is delivered from a range of platforms in a layered approach: capabilities in these areas can be provided by other Defence assets.

EDUCATION

Charities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department allocated to (a) Centrepoint, (b) Crisis, (c) Skill Force and (d) Shelter in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: The Department has not made funding available to Centrepoint, Crisis or Shelter in these financial years.
	The Department made the following funding available to Skill Force Development:
	
		
			 Financial year Amount (£) 
			 2010-11 177,640 
			 2011-12 717,166 
			 2012-13 1,030,000

Early Intervention Foundation

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to announce his decision on the outcome of the Early Intervention Foundation tender; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 30 October 2012
	Shortly.

GCE A-level: Females

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of female A level students likely to be drawn into prostitution.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 5 December 2012
	The Department for Education has made no such assessment. We do not, however, recognise prostitution as an appropriate term to use in relation to girls who are still legally children and who are being sexually exploited. Child sexual exploitation is child abuse and is a very serious crime which the Government are committed to tackling.

Schools: Admissions

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions his Department has had with headteachers in (a) English cities and (b) other areas where there is recent high levels of pupil turnover on the potential effect of such turnover on teaching and learning in schools.

David Laws: The Department for Education has not recently held discussions with head teachers about levels of pupil turnover and its potential effect on teaching and learning in schools.
	We believe that every pupil, including those who are mobile, should be stretched and challenged in order to reach their true potential, and the Government's approach is to give head teachers greater power and control to drive improvement in their schools. Schools are best placed to know what works for them, and are accountable for the progress that children make.
	We are introducing, in response to recommendations made by Lord Bew in June 2011, new indicators to the 2012 performance tables which will show the attainment and progress of “non-mobile” pupils who have been in the school throughout the previous two academic years. These can be compared with results for the whole cohort, including mobile pupils.

Schools: Admissions

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential effect of pupil turnover on schools results and Ofsted ratings.

David Laws: The Department has not made any recent assessment of the effect of pupil turnover on school results or OFSTED ratings. However, the Department has estimated the effect of moving schools on pupil results. Our most recent analysis estimates that a pupil moving school after the start of year 6 will get a tenth of a key stage 2 national curriculum level lower, when controlling for other factors.
	It is estimated that a pupil moving school after September of year 10 will have a reduction of at least one grade in each qualification taken at the end of key stage 4, when controlling for other factors.
	We recognise these effects and, in response to recommendations made by Lord Bew in June 2011, additional indicators in the 2012 performance tables will separately show attainment and progress of pupils who have been in the school for at least two academic years.
	In addition, Her Majesty's Inspectors are given a stability index that provides an indication of pupil turnover compared to the average of schools nationally.

Secondary Education: Work Experience

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what support his Department provides to work placement training programmes in secondary schools dealing with non-conventional work-experience placements.

Matthew Hancock: From September 2013 funding reforms will make it easier for schools to offer students work experience. The introduction of 16-19 study programmes will also set clearer expectations on schools to arrange work experience or other work-related learning such a student enterprise projects. Studio Schools and University Technical Colleges are already pioneering work with employers to develop students' specialist skills. BIS and DFE also encourage links between employers and schools through its work with Local Enterprise Partnerships and employer organisations.

Teachers: Retirement

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he has given to introducing a winding-down scheme for teachers approaching retirement age.

David Laws: The Teachers' Pension scheme (TPS) is a defined benefit occupational pension scheme for teachers and lecturers in England and Wales which provides a range of benefits for members and their families. The scheme in Scotland (the Scottish Teaches' Superannuation scheme) is administered by the Scottish Public Pensions Agency on behalf of Scottish Ministers.
	The TPS has a range of provisions available to employers and individuals approaching retirement. In addition to normal age retirement these options include phased retirement, where a teacher can draw some of their pension whilst continuing to work; actuarially adjusted benefits, where the teacher can leave teaching and draw all their benefits with an adjustment for early payment; and premature retirement, which allows the employer to offer early retirement with or without enhancement. In addition employers and teachers can purchase additional pension, to assist those who are retiring early. These provisions will continue as part of the reformed TPS to be introduced in 2015.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the exemption of energy-intensive industries from new long-term contracts for difference will not fall disproportionately on low-income fuel consumers.

John Hayes: DECC is committed to helping those households who are in fuel poverty and recognise the need to help more of the most vulnerable to keep their homes warm at an affordable cost.
	The scope of the exemption for Energy Intensive Industries from the costs of Contracts for Difference will determine its impact on consumers. We intend to consult on the scope of the exemption, including who will be eligible, in spring 2013. The redistribution of costs and how this affects domestic consumers will be a key consideration.

Energy

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assistance he plans to provide to energy-intensive industries after 2015 when the Electricity Market Reform spending envelope for compensation expires.

Gregory Barker: The Government announced its intention to exempt Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs) from the costs of Contracts for Difference (introduced through Electricity Market Reform) on 29 November 2012. This is intended to be an exemption from costs, not a compensation package. Subject to state aid clearance, the exemption would come into force when Contracts for Difference are introduced.
	Separately, the package to compensate EIIs for the indirect costs of the Carbon Price Floor and EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), and the additional Climate Change Levy rebate is worth around £250 million over this spending review period. This is not part of Electricity Market Reform.
	The funding for all Government schemes is dependent on the outcome of spending reviews by HM Treasury. The current review runs to financial year 2014-15. Any spending beyond this will be the subject of negotiation with HM Treasury.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the price differential between (a) dead tariffs and (b) live tariffs for domestic energy supply.

Gregory Barker: The Department does not hold this information, but Ofgem has carried out extensive analysis of the domestic retail energy market during its Retail Market Review and discovered there are over 650 dead evergreen tariffs, of which one third are more costly than the current standard variable rate tariff offered by the supplier.
	This analysis was based on information provided by suppliers at a particular point in time. Differentials vary between suppliers and will also vary over time.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the number of households on dead tariffs for their energy supply.

Gregory Barker: The Department does not hold these data.

Energy: Wholesale Trade

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral statement of 29 November 2012, Official Report, column 392, on energy policy, what steps his Department is taking to increase (a) liquidity and (b) transparency in the wholesale energy market.

John Hayes: Industry has already taken some steps to address the problem of low levels of power market liquidity and transparency, leading to better conditions in the day-ahead market. However, forward market liquidity remains a particular concern.
	Ofgem is leading reforms in this area and are currently consulting on measures aimed at locking in recent progress and promoting further improvements to improve both liquidity and transparency across the wholesale market.
	Given the significance of liquidity and transparency in promoting competition and supporting independent market participants the Government will be seeking powers in the Energy Bill to act should Ofgem and industry be unable to secure the progress that is necessary.

Fossil Fuels: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral statement of 29 November 2012, Official Report, column 388, on energy policy, what the evidential basis is for the statement that Government policies stand to reduce the UK's sensitivity to fossil fuel price strikes by approximately 30 per cent by 2020 and by around 60 per cent by 2016.

John Hayes: Assuming the question refers to the statement that “Government policies stand to reduce the UK's sensitivity to fossil fuel price spikes by approximately 30% by 2020, and by around 60% by 2050”, the evidence base is the DECC-commissioned 2011 Oxford Economics report, ‘Fuel Price Shocks and a Low Carbon Economy’. This can be accessed at the following web address:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/tackling-climate-change/international-climate-change/5276-fossil-fuel-price-shocks-and-a-low-carbon-economy-.pdf
	The key findings of this study are that the impact of a 50% increase in oil and gas prices (resulting from a supply shock) reduces UK GDP by around 1% in 2010; and, under the low carbon scenario of reduced energy demand, by around 0.7% in 2020 and less than 0.4% 2050. This indicates the impact on UK output from oil and gas price shocks could be reduced by around 30% in 2020 and 60% in 2050, compared to a 2010 baseline.

Internet

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much has been spent on (a) strategy and planning, (b) design and build, (c) hosting and infrastructure, (d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation for his Department's websites in each of the last two years; and how much has been allocated for each such category of expenditure in 2012-13.

Gregory Barker: The breakdown of spend for the last two years for the Department's websites is published on the Cabinet Office website:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/websitemetrics2010-11
	The Department has allocated the following amounts for 2012-13:
	Strategy and Planning: £41,500
	Design and Build: £328,000
	Hosting and Infrastructure: £169,200
	Content Provision: £48,000
	Testing and Evaluation: £41,000.

Natural Gas: Kettering

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of off-gas grid households in the borough of Kettering.

John Hayes: The exact number of households who are off the gas grid is not held centrally.
	Estimates have been produced based on information held from two administrative sources; these are the Gemserv database on the location of electricity meters, and data from xoserve and independent gas transporters on the location of gas meters. Subtracting the number of gas meters from the number of electricity meters produces a broad estimate of the number of off grid properties. However some households can have more than one electricity meter associated with their property (for instance, a supply for communal facilities such as stairwell lighting or a lift). Additionally, the standard gas industry definition of domestic use uses a consumption threshold, with any consumer using less than 73,200 kWh of gas per year being classed as a domestic user; it is estimated that—Great Britain wide—this definition allocates around 2 million small business users as domestic. Furthermore a small number of meters (less than one third of one percent) do not have sufficient information associated with them to be able to allocate them to a specific area. The underlying data on the number of gas and electricity meters in each local authority are available on the Departments website at:
	www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/energy_stats/regional/electricity/electricity.aspx
	www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/energy_stats/regional/gas/gas.aspx
	The following table shows, for 2010, the number of domestic electricity meter points, the number of gas meter points where consumption was less than 73,200 kWh, and the difference between the two figures. This indicates around 3,700 households in the borough of Kettering are off the gas grid.
	
		
			 Number of estimated off-grid households in Kettering, 2010 
			 Local administrative unit code Local authority area Domestic electricity meters (thousand) Gas meters recording less than 73,200 kWh (thousand) Difference (thousand) 
			 34UE Kettering 41.6 37.9 3.7

Natural Gas: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral statement of 29 November 2012, Official Report, column 388, on energy policy, what the evidential basis is for the statement that global gas prices were 50 per cent higher between 2006 and 2011 than between 2001 and 2006.

John Hayes: The statement should have referred to UK wholesale gas prices rather than global gas prices. A revision to clarify this is being issued by the Department to the Annual Energy Statement page 8, paragraph 1.10, which reads:
	“Energy costs are a big factor in most households' expenses, and rising global gas prices, which were 50% higher in the five years from 2007 to 2011 than in the previous five years”.
	The National Balancing Point (NBP) is the virtual point on the UK's gas transmission system where wholesale gas is traded. The average NBP spot price in the five years from 2007-11 was 43.5 pence per therm. The equivalent figure for the preceding five years from 2002-06 was 28.5 pence per therm implying a period-on-period increase of 52.7%.

Wind Power

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will discuss with his European counterparts the de-rating of wind turbines.

Gregory Barker: I have no plans to discuss de-rating of wind turbines with my European counterparts.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to publish a draft bill on banning wild animals in circuses.

David Heath: As set out in the written ministerial statement by my predecessor, the right hon. Member for South East Cambridgeshire (Sir James Paice), on 12 July 2012, Official  Report, columns 43-44WS, it is our intention to publish a draft Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny this Session.

Common Fisheries Policy

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what recent progress he has made on securing agreement in the European Parliament on a discard ban under the Common Fisheries Policy;
	(2)  what recent progress he has made on securing agreement in the European Parliament on UK control over its 12 nautical mile territorial waters under the Common Fisheries Policy.

Richard Benyon: Since the agreement of the general approach on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) by Fisheries Ministers at June Council I have been working to influence the European Parliament's negotiations on the dossier. Discussions on this in the European Parliament are currently at the committee stage and we do not expect to receive a clear view from the Parliament on the reform package until early next year.
	With regard to access in the 12 nautical mile zone, the derogation in the current CFP that restricts access to this zone was due to expire on 31 December 2012. I have pressed for the current derogation to be maintained, and both Council and Parliament have agreed this should be done. I expect a necessary amendment to the legislation to be finalised later this month.

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many full-time equivalent staff were employed on consultancy contracts in his Department on the latest date for which figures are available; how many such staff were employed on the same date 12 months ago; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA employed two people on consultancy contracts as at 31 October 2012, compared with six people on 31 October 2011. This excludes the number employed as interims or as specialist contractors.

Dogs

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to publish his response to the tackling irresponsible dog ownership consultation.

David Heath: We will be publishing our response to the consultation, together with the way forward, shortly. The Government is serious about tackling irresponsible ownership and we want to make sure that any proposals will deal with the problem effectively.

Eggs: Labelling

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of food industry bodies and the UK egg industry on the implementation of a production method labelling scheme for foods with egg as an ingredient to identify (a) food products manufactured from eggs produced in non-compliant systems in the EU and (b) egg products manufactured from eggs produced by conventional cage production systems outside the EU.

David Heath: The ability for consumers to make informed choices about the food products they buy is important to the Government. This has to be balanced against the realities of production cost and consumer support.
	The Government supports accurate voluntary labelling. The significant swing in recent years to free range egg and chicken production is a good example of how the voluntary approach can be successful. There is no legal requirement for broiler or laying hens to be reared as 'free range', yet producers recognise the added value to be gained from doing so and being able to label their products accordingly.
	The Government will continue to work with animal welfare organisations, the food industry and consumer groups to ensure the right balance between demand for additional labelling, and additional costs to producers.

Flood Control

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what the cost to the public purse has been of the provision of sandbags to high-risk flood areas in 2012 to date;
	(2)  how many sandbags the Government has provided for use against flooding (a) nationally and (b) in Greater London in 2012 to date.

Richard Benyon: Decisions to deploy sandbags are made at local level and we do not hold this information centrally.

Flood Control

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on flood defences in each of the last 30 years; by what proportion such funding changed in each of the last two years; and by what proportion he expects such funding to change in each of the next five years.

Richard Benyon: The following table sets out spending by DEFRA and its predecessors on flood and coastal erosion risk management in England from 1996-97 to 2011-12, and current budget forecasts for 2012-13 to 2014-15.
	Records prior to 1996-97 are not held centrally as allocations were administered at a regional level.
	
		
			  Central Government spending (£ million) 
			 1996-97 101.9 
			 1997-98 87.1 
			 1998-99 78.3 
			 1999-2000 75.5 
			 2000-01 71.4 
			 2001-02 84.7 
			 2002-03 128.4 
			 2003-04 135.5 
			 2004-05 415.4 
			 2005-06 514.8 
			 2006-07 505.2 
			 2007-08 456.7 
			 2008-09 568.2 
			 2009-10 627.9 
			 2010-11 664.1 
			 2011-12 573.0 
			 2012-13 559.9 
			 2013-14 574.5 
			 2014-15 612.7 
		
	
	From 2004-05, block grant from DEFRA to the Environment Agency largely replaced the previous system of central Government grants to individual local authorities. This accounts for the large increase in spending between 2003-04 and 2004-05.
	In 2011-12, an additional £22.3 million funding was spent on flood risk management following reprioritisation of DEFRA budgets.
	In 2012-13, an additional £5 million is being spent on flood risk management following reprioritisation of DEFRA budgets in year.
	The autumn statement announced an extra £120 million for flood defences in England during this spending period which is within the allocations for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 financial years.
	Funding levels have been set to 2014-15. We do not anticipate changes to these figures. Spending beyond 2014-15 will be the subject of future Government spending reviews.
	Central Government expenditure includes DEFRA's own direct expenditure, DEFRA grants to the Environment Agency, plus capital grants to individual local authorities and internal drainage boards.

Flood Control

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much partnership funding for flood defences was spent in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

Richard Benyon: During the three years before Partnership Funding was introduced (2008-09 to 2010-11) a total of £13 million of external contributions were received towards flood and coastal risk management projects in England, In 2011-12 the Environment Agency received £5.4 million of external contributions. The Flood and Coastal Resilience Partnership Funding policy was introduced in May 2011 in order to increase levels of external investment from 2012-13 onwards. In its first year of operation the new policy brought forward up to £72 million in external contributions, with this sum expected to increase further as part of this second year of operation.

Flood Control

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated ratio is of the amount spent on flood defences to the amount saved in avoiding future damage.

Richard Benyon: The capital investment programme for flood and coastal erosion risk management across England in the three year period up to March 2010 avoided on average £8 in future flood damages for each £1 invested. The Environment Agency currently forecast a similar average benefit to cost ratio in terms of flood alleviation that will be achieved over the current spending review period.

Flood Control

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of capital expenditure on flooding infrastructure from each funding source in each year from 2012 to 2017.

Richard Benyon: The following table provides yearly totals of the planned expenditure on capital flood risk management needs in £ million up to 2014-15. Spending beyond 2014-15 will be the subject of future Government spending reviews. Central Government expenditure includes DEFRA's own direct expenditure, DEFRA grants to the Environment Agency, plus capital grants to individual local authorities and internal drainage boards.
	
		
			 Financial year Grant in aid capital allocation (£ million) Funding announced in the 2012 autumn statement (£ million) 
			 2012-13 266 0 
			 2013-14 259 35 
			 2014-15 259 85 
		
	
	The grant in aid allocation to the Environment Agency for this year has increased from £259 million to £266 million following internal reprioritisation of DEFRA capital budgets.
	The autumn statement announced an extra £120 million for flood defences in England during this spending period which is allocated for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 financial years.
	In addition to the capital expenditure set out above, regional flood and coastal committees raise a levy for additional capital and revenue works within their regions. Internal drainage boards (IDBs) also raise a levy to support additional works within their districts. In its first year of operation, partnership funding brought forward up to £72 million in local contributions for the 2012-13 to 2014-15 period. The second annual investment cycle under partnership funding is currently under way, with early indications suggesting the. level of external contributions for the current period has grown further.

Floods

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the number and scale of flooding incidents in the UK in the latest period for which figures are available; and whether he has assessed the potential link between the number of incidents and global warming.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency estimates that 1,885 properties in England and Wales were affected by flooding in November, making a total of 7,318 for 2012 so far.
	It is too soon to make any assessment of the potential link between the number of recent flooding incidents and global warming. Although it is possible to assess the statistical likelihood of climate change influencing specific extreme events, this analysis takes several months. More frequent extreme rainfall events, with increasing flood risk, are one of the likely effects of climate change. Government-funded research at the Met Office Hadley Centre suggests that human influence is having a marked impact on some types of extreme weather, including floods such as those which occurred in autumn 2000. DEFRA will keep such evidence under review.
	DEFRA has made an assessment of anticipated changes in river flows and sea levels based on UK Climate Projections 2009. Guidance has been provided on how these changes should be taken into account by flood risk management authorities when apprising flood defence schemes.
	The Government laid the Climate Change Risk Assessment before Parliament in January 2012. This is an independent research project that analyses the key risks and opportunities that changes to the climate bring to the UK across 11 key sectors.

Floods: Insurance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made on discussions with the Association of British Insurers on affordable insurance cover for people who have been affected by flooding and those living in areas with a high flood risk.

Richard Benyon: We remain committed to ongoing discussions with the Association of British Insurers, on behalf of their members, and others about what replaces the Statement of Principles agreement. However, it is not our policy to conduct negotiations in public. A range of options are on the table; we need a lasting solution that ensures affordable insurance bills for those at flood risk but does not place unsustainable costs on wider policyholders and the taxpayer.

Floods: South West

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to tackle flooding in Devon and Cornwall.

Richard Benyon: Our thoughts are with all those who have been affected by the flooding episodes of this summer. Currently 99% of Environment Agency assets (defences, sluices, weirs or pumps) in the South West are at target condition in high consequence systems, where the Environment Agency's assets protect many properties from flooding,
	Following the flood events, of summer 2012, the Environment Agency has inspected its flood defences in the South West for any damage, and repairs have been undertaken where necessary.
	This year (2012-13), Risk Management Authorities (the Environment Agency, local authorities and Internal Drainage Boards) are investing £20.4 million in flood and coastal erosion risk management projects in the South West, with a target of reducing flood risk to a further 1,668 properties. Over the previous three years, £125 million of Flood Defence Grant in Aid has been used in the South West to manage and reduce flood risk.

Floods: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will take steps to assist the residents and businesses of St Asaph and Rhuddlan who have experienced flooding.

Richard Benyon: I would like to take this opportunity to express my sympathy to all those who suffered in the recent flooding events.
	Flooding is a devolved matter and this issue would best be raised with the Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development in the Welsh Assembly Government.

ICT

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Property lost or stolen is recorded as ‘losses’ for core DEFRA. The following table shows unrecovered losses of items for the financial years 2010-11 and 2011-12.
	
		
			 Description 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Computers 10 12 
			 Mobile telephones 3 0 
			 Blackberries 4 9 
			 Other IT equipment 10 11

Insects

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of trends in the number of wild insect pollinators in the UK in the last decade.

Richard Benyon: In 2011, DEFRA and a range of other funders published the UK National Ecosystem Assessment. This reviewed the available evidence on pollinator declines and concluded that since 1980 wild bee diversity had declined in most landscapes. Over the same period, some hoverfly and butterfly species had increased in abundance, but many of those with more specialised feeding or habitat requirements had declined. The drivers of the observed declines included disease, habitat loss and the use of some pesticides.
	Natural England has recently initiated a review of the status of groups of invertebrates in England, including bees, moths, butterflies, beetles and mayflies to identify priorities for conservation action.
	The Status and Trends of European Pollinators (STEPS) project, funded by the European Commission, has published a number of papers on the status of pollinators in Europe and the UK. These are available on the project website at
	www.step-project.net

Internet

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent on (a) strategy and planning, (b) design and build, (c) hosting and infrastructure, (d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation for his Department's websites in each of the last two years; and how much has been allocated for each such category of expenditure in 2012-13.

Richard Benyon: Information on website expenditure is collated by the Cabinet Office and has been published at
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/websitemetrics2010-11
	The relevant figures for core DEFRA for the last two years are:
	
		
			 £ 
			  2010-11 2011-12 
			 Strategy and planning 22,795 — 
			 Design and build 161,144 159,270 
			 Hosting and infrastructure 184,050 17,085 
			 Content provision 59,829 — 
		
	
	
		
			 Testing and evaluation 11,139 — 
			 Total 438,957 176,355 
		
	
	Core DEFRA has not apportioned expenditure in 2012-13 against these categories, and will continue to allocate resources flexibly as requirements dictate. Core DEFRA's total web costs in 2012-13 are expected to be in line with the 2011-12 figure. How this is allocated may, in particular, be subject to the needs of transitioning core DEFRA's corporate web publishing to the new GOV.UK website over the remainder of this financial year.

Parking

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what contracts for providing car park management services to his Department are held by private companies;
	(2)  what the total value is of any contracts between his Department and private companies for car park management services in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) South Lanarkshire local authority area.

Richard Benyon: Car parking for core DEFRA sites is managed via core DEFRA's Facilities Management Contract with Interserve (FM) Ltd. To provide costs within this contract associated specifically with car parking management would incur disproportionate cost.
	Core DEFRA does not have any Contract Car Park Management Services covering Scotland or South Lanarkshire local authority area.

Plastics: Recycling

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside of 23 October 2012, Official Report, column 801W, on plastics: recycling, by what mechanism the packaging recovery note (PRN) system influences the amount of plastic packaging waste collected by local authorities; what assessment he has made of the effect of the PRN price on local authorities' collection of plastic packaging waste; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The Impact Assessment supporting the consultation on new recovery and recycling targets for packaging waste for 2013-17 looked at the impact of increased packaging recovery note (PRN) costs and revenues and the likely impact on levels of collection.
	The packaging recovery note PRN system provides a mechanism by which additional funding is generated to support the collection and recycling of packaging waste materials. As PRN prices rise, reprocessors will receive more revenue which they are expected to invest in increasing capacity for collection and reprocessing of packaging waste. This could take the form of increased support for waste collectors, including local authorities, to collect more material.

Plastics: Recycling

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside of 23 October 2012, Official Report, column 800W, on plastics: recycling, what investigation he has made as to whether local weight-based recycling targets discourage local authorities from collecting lighter materials such as plastic packaging; what estimate he has made of the effect that weight-based recycling targets will have on the packaging recovery note price once new national recycling targets are introduced for plastic packaging; what plans he has to work with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to ensure that local and national recycling targets are co-ordinated to deliver improvements in collection and recycling of plastic packaging waste; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: There are no recycling targets on local authorities, weight-based or otherwise. Centrally imposed targets were removed to enable local authorities to focus on local priorities.

River Rom

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent work his Department has carried out on the River Rom.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency undertakes maintenance work, such as managing vegetation growth and removing obstructions, on the River Rom. This reduces flood risk by ensuring the channel has the capacity to carry flood flows after heavy rainfall. The Environment Agency cuts back vegetation once a year during winter, with the next round of work due to be carried out before March 2013.
	Once a year the Environment Agency also sprays herbicide on Japanese Knotweed growing in, or next to, the river. This is to control the spread of this invasive species and to prevent it from damaging concrete sections of the river bank. It last undertook this work in October 2012.
	Once a month, the Environment Agency checks the river to remove any debris likely to obstruct flow. Between these checks, if it receives a report from a member of the public of any obstruction that may increase flood risk in the river it deals with it as a matter of urgently.
	The Environment Agency is currently working with Thames 21 on a Catchment Plan for the Rivers Rom and Beam to identify and address the main issues with the watercourses in this area.

Surveys

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA participates in the annual civil service people survey (CSPS) co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office, which measures the attitudes and motivations of staff. All staff are invited to take part. The 2012 civil service people survey ran from 1-31 October 2012.
	A copy of core DEFRA's results for the 2011 CSPS can be found at
	http://archive.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/who/documents/staffsurvey2011.pdf
	Core DEFRA will publish the results of this year's survey on our website by the end of January 2013.
	The cost to core DEFRA for participating in the 2011 survey was £11,882 plus VAT. We have not yet received notification from the Cabinet Office of core DEFRA's share of the costs of the 2012 CSPS, but we expect to pay a similar amount to 2011.

Waste Management

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of likely levels of growth in the waste sector in the next 12 months.

Richard Benyon: Britain's waste and recycling sector was valued at over £12 billion in 2010-11, employing between 104,000-150,000 people. For 2012-13, short-term growth figures are forecast as waste management growth in sales of 3.0% and recovery and recycling of 3.9%. Growth figures for 2013/14 for these two sectors are forecast as 3.1% and 4.0% respectively.
	The 2011 Review of Waste Policy in England sets us on the path towards a zero-waste economy where materials are valued and nothing of value is discarded. It will support the sector's transition from focusing on disposal to landfill to greater reuse, recycling and recovery of waste material.

HEALTH

Autism

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made in implementing his Department's autism strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The Government will review the 2010 adult autism strategy “Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives”, from April to October next year. This is an opportunity for the Government to review progress, take stock and consider where further action is required to realise the vision of improving the lives of people with autism. In a memorandum to the Committee of Public Accounts of 17 July 2012, the National Audit Office stated that considerable progress had already been made in the two years since the strategy was published.

Care Homes: Birmingham

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) private, (b) voluntary and (c) independent residential homes in Birmingham fall within the ambit of the Care Quality Commission's inspection regime.

Norman Lamb: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has provided the following information.
	The CQC does not capture information on the type of ownership of care homes registered with them and therefore cannot provide a response on the number of residential homes in Birmingham that are private, voluntary or independent.
	However, as at 5 December 2012 there are 342 care homes in Birmingham registered under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. Of these, 269 are residential homes and 73 are nursing homes. For the purpose of this answer, the CQC has defined Birmingham as the local authority area.

Charities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department allocated to (a) Centrepoint, (b) Crisis, (c) Skill Force and (d) Shelter in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The Department has allocated the following funding to Crisis.
	
		
			 Crisis Opportunities for volunteering Improving access to mental health 
			 2010-11 144,745 36,745 
			 2011-12 142,286 48,875 
			 2012-13 0 100,401 
			 Total 287,031 186,021 
		
	
	The Department has not made any payments to Centrepoint, Skill Force or Shelter in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.
	It should be noted that funding for 2012-13 represents the latest allocations and additional funding could be allocated in the remaining months of the financial year.

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent staff were employed on consultancy contracts in his Department on the latest date for which figures are available; how many such staff were employed on the same date 12 months ago; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The core Department does not employ management consultants or their staff. They contract for the delivery of consultancy services from companies and do not keep central records of the number of management consultants used by those companies to deliver the service for each contract.
	Information about the Department's work force, both payroll and non-payroll workers, is published monthly and is available from the Department's transparency website:
	http://transparency.dh.gov.uk/tag/workforce/

Contraceptives: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS community contraception clinics there are in (a) Denton and Reddish constituency and (b) Greater Manchester in each of the last 10 years.

Anna Soubry: This information is not collected centrally.
	Primary care trusts commission contraception services offered by national health service community contraception clinics and sexual health clinics. From 1 April 2013, these service's will be commissioned by local authorities.

English Language

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on English language classes for staff in each of the last 10 years.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not hold central records of expenditure on English language classes. To gather the relevant information would incur disproportionate costs, as it would involve searching records held locally by directorates.

Eyesight: Testing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pensioners in Denton and Reddish constituency aged over 60 had free eye tests in each of the last 10 years.

Daniel Poulter: Information is not available in the format requested. National health service sight test data are not collected by constituency. Some information can be provided at primary care trust (PCT) level from 2007-08.
	Estimated numbers of NHS sight tests for persons aged 60 or over in Stockport PCT and Tameside and Glossop PCX are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Stockport PCT Tameside and Glossop PCT 
			  Number Size of patient eligibility sample used (percentage Number Size of patient eligibility sample used (percentage) 
			 2007-08 26,238 2 26,634 2 
			 2008-09 26,969 2 25,977 2 
			 2009-10 30,320 100 22,511 2 
			 2010-11 29,062 100 18,464 1 
			 2011-12 28,677 100 21,339 2 
			 Notes: 1. Patient eligibility is based on a sample of General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) claim forms collected. This can result in anomalies in the data, depending on the sample used. This is particularly apparent when comparing year on year PCT level data. 2. From 1 April 1999, eligibility for a free NHS sight test was extended to everyone aged 60 or over. Patients may qualify for an NHS sight test on more than one criterion. However, they would only be recorded against one criterion on the form. Patients are more likely to be recorded according to their clinical need rather than their age. For example, a patient aged over 60, with glaucoma is likely to be recorded in the glaucoma category only. The count by eligibility is therefore approximate. Patients may also have had more than one sight test in the specified time period. Source: Annex D of the ‘General Ophthalmic Services Activity Statistics—England, 2011-12’ report, available on the Health and Social Care Information Centre website.

General Practitioners

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints from each region he has received on lack of access to GP services in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The Department receives a wide range of correspondence on general practitioner (GP) services. To identify the number of individual complaints by region in each year would therefore incur disproportionate cost.

General Practitioners: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average distance travelled for an out-of-hours GP appointment was in (a) Suffolk, (b) Bedfordshire, (c) Cambridgeshire, (d) Essex, (e) Hertfordshire and (f) Norfolk in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what the average waiting time for an out-of-hours GP appointment was in (a) Suffolk, (b) Bedfordshire, (c) Cambridgeshire, (d) Essex, (e) Hertfordshire and (f) Norfolk in each of the last three years.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not hold the information requested.
	My hon. Friend may wish to approach the primary care trusts concerned who might hold this information.

Health Education: Harrow

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the Harrow primary care trust area received advice from the NHS on (a) healthy eating, (b) stopping smoking, (c) managing long-term conditions and (d) losing weight in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: This information is not held centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact the trust responsible for this information, which in this case is Harrow Primary Care Trust.

Heart Diseases and Liver Cancer

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) men and (b) women in each age group were diagnosed with (i) coronary artery disease and (ii) liver cancer in (A) Denton and Reddish constituency, (B) Greater Manchester and (C) England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Anna Soubry: Data on the numbers of men and women in each age group who were diagnosed with coronary artery disease in Denton and Reddish constituency, Greater Manchester and England and Wales in each of the last 10 years are not collected centrally.
	However, the Health and Social Care Information Centre holds data from the national Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) publication, which collects the number of people recorded on general practice disease registers. For coronary heart disease (CHD) this relates to patients who are diagnosed with CHD and usually remain on the register long term—a measure of prevalence rather than incidence.
	The QOF also records the list size of each practice and number of practices per primary care trust (PCT) in each release.
	The available information is set out in the following tables:
	
		
			 England 
			  List size Number of general practitioner (GP) practices Number of patients on CHD register Prevalence (percentage) 
			 2004-05 52,833,584 8,486 1,893,184 3.58 
			 2005-06 53,211,253 8,406 1,900,640 3.57 
			 2006-07 53,681,098 8,372 1,898,565 3.54 
			 2007-08 54,009,831 8,294 1,892,432 3.50 
			 2008-09 54,310,660 8,229 1,886,406 3.47 
			 2009-10 54,836,561 8,305 1,885,089 3.44 
			 2010-11 55,169,643 8,245 1,877,518 3.40 
			 2011-12 55,525,732 8,123 1,875,548 3.38 
		
	
	
		
			 Stockport PCT 
			  List size Number of GP practices Number of patients on CHD register Prevalence (percentage) 
			 2004-05 289,559 54 12,724 4.39 
			 2005-06 289,556 54 12,609 4.35 
			 2006-07 290,374 53 12,615 4.34 
			 2007-08 291,255 53 12,378 4.25 
			 2008-09 292,488 53 12,313 4.21 
			 2009-10 297,736 54 12,232 4.11 
			 2010-11 298,190 52 12,113 4.06 
			 2011-12 299,243 51 12,006 4.01 
		
	
	
		
			 Tameside and Glossop PCT 
			  List size Number of GP practices Number of patients on CHD register Prevalence (percentage) 
			 2004-05 233,387 41 10,269 4.40 
			 2005-06 232,519 40 10,251 4.41 
			 2006-07 235,363 40 10,353 4.40 
			 2007-08 236,571 40 10,258 4.34 
			 2008-09 237,465 40 10,213 4.30 
			 2009-10 238,915 44 10,117 4.23 
			 2010-11 240,153 43 10,014 4.17 
			 2011-12 240,654 43 10,040 4.17 
		
	
	Information concerning the number of men and women diagnosed with liver cancer in the Denton and Reddish constituency, Greater Manchester and England and Wales in each of the last 10 years has been provided in the following tables. These data have been provided by the Office for National Statistics, which collects cancer incidence data for both England and Wales.
	However, because liver cancer is a rarer form of cancer, with small numbers reported, statistics presented by both age and sex for small geographical areas (e.g. constituencies) are potentially disclosive. To ensure that the identities of individuals diagnoses with liver cancer are protected these statistics have been aggregated for the last 10 years for the Denton and Reddish constituency and presented with 10 year age bands, as opposed to the five years norm, in Greater Manchester.
	
		
			 Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of liver cancer (1)  for men and women by age group, Denton and Reddish parliamentary constituency, 2001-10 combined (2,3) 
			  Age group 
			  0 to 64 65 to 69 70 to 74 75 to 79 80 to 84 85+ 
			 Men 8 4 7 9 6 3 
			 Women 4 4 2 4 5 3 
			 (1) Cancer of the liver is coded as C22 according to the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (2) Based on boundaries as of November 2012. (3) Cancer incidence figures are based on newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year. These numbers may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with cancer, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one cancer. The 10 year period is combined. Source: Office for National 
		
	
	
		
			 Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of liver cancer (1)  for men and women by age group, Greater Manchester, 2001-10 (2,3) 
			  Men 
			 Age 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 All ages 88 94 75 88 114 100 118 129 148 167 
			 0 to 54 17 8 11 13 10 15 19 20 21 23 
			 55 to 64 17 17 15 20 27 16 26 25 22 42 
			 65 to 74 29 30 22 26 28 36 45 39 42 51 
			 75 to 79 14 20 12 15 19 17 16 20 25 23 
			 80 to 84 2 12 7 9 16 8 8 18 22 13 
			 85+ 9 7 8 5 14 8 4 7 16 15 
		
	
	
		
			 Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of liver cancer (1)  for men and women by age group, Greater Manchester, 2001-10 (2,3) 
			  Women 
			 Age 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 All ages 62 49 50 61 68 82 73 68 94 104 
			 0 to 54 4 7 5 8 5 5 11 7 4 5 
			 55 to 64 7 4 7 9 11 15 12 16 11 19 
			 65 to 74 18 7 13 6 12 18 18 19 22 20 
			 75 to 79 7 9 7 8 12 11 9 7 19 20 
			 80 to 84 13 11 9 15 17 19 10 9 18 13 
			 85+ 13 11 9 15 11 14 13 10 20 27 
			 (1) Cancer of the liver is coded as C22 according to the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (2) Based on boundaries as of November 2012. (3) Cancer incidence figures are based on newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year. These numbers may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with cancer, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one cancer. Source: Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			 Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of liver cancer (1)  for men and women by age group, England and Wales, 2001-10 (2,3) 
			 Registrations 
			  Men 
			 Age 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 All ages 1,369 1,526 1,542 1,596 1,785 1,905 2,004 2,118 2,266 2,344 
			 Under 5 13 9 10 1 7 7 9 10 6 7 
			 5 to 9 0 1 1 4 1 1 0 1 0 3 
			 10 to 14 1 4 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 
			 15 to 19 2 4 0 5 2 4 6 0 2 3 
			 20 to 24 1 1 1 6 5 4 0 1 2 1 
			 25 to 29 10 3 2 7 6 3 8 12 8 8 
			 30 to 34 12 10 7 9 6 6 10 14 6 12 
			 35 to 39 9 8 11 9 13 19 8 13 17 15 
			 40 to 44 28 25 34 27 27 37 33 33 45 33 
			 45 to 49 47 54 56 50 64 56 56 75 78 85 
			 50 to 54 90 84 88 79 98 117 106 97 128 130 
			 55 to 59 121 108 131 137 172 158 191 185 199 197 
			 60 to 64 151 153 158 187 195 202 249 242 255 282 
			 65 to 69 188 217 254 225 243 232 274 301 291 338 
			 70 to 74 215 275 240 248 307 309 330 360 382 359 
			 75 to 79 233 264 259 297 270 329 314 346 358 348 
			 80 to 84 128 182 171 192 229 246 244 244 277 283 
			 85+ 120 124 118 106 138 174 164 182 211 239 
		
	
	
		
			 Registrations 
			  Women 
			 Age 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 All ages 989 1,005 943 1,052 1,118 1,124 1,212 1,234 1,372 1,406 
			 Under 5 8 6 6 4 6 8 11 5 10 3 
			 5 to 9 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 
		
	
	
		
			 10 to 14 0 0 2 3 1 0 3 1 2 2 
			 15 to 19 3 4 3 1 4 1 0 5 1 1 
			 20 to 24 0 2 6 3 3 3 1 2 2 5 
			 25 to 29 3 1 0 0 1 0 6 2 6 2 
			 30 to 34 3 3 3 12 3 4 6 8 7 6 
			 35 to 39 7 8 3 9 4 12 8 13 6 6 
			 40 to 44 12 15 10 11 12 16 21 21 20 14 
			 45 to 49 12 24 24 22 28 26 21 30 34 29 
			 50 to 54 33 33 34 47 39 45 35 40 56 56 
			 55 to 59 50 62 54 53 70 62 66 69 66 75 
			 60 to 64 76 66 58 69 76 94 122 112 111 127 
			 65 to 69 102 113 113 112 128 131 123 132 123 135 
			 70 to 74 153 147 124 166 151 166 171 159 196 191 
			 75 to 79 209 154 162 164 188 187 194 204 233 229 
			 80 to 84 167 180 185 205 205 165 205 201 218 241 
			 85+ 151 187 156 169 199 204 218 230 281 283 
			 (1) Cancer of the liver is coded as C22 according to the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (2) Based on boundaries as of November 2012. (3) Cancer incidence figures are based on newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year. These numbers may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with cancer, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one cancer. Source: England data Office for National Statistics; Wales data Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit

Hepatitis

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any plans to instruct the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to establish a quality standard and guidelines for the treatment of hepatitis C.

Norman Lamb: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has been asked to develop a clinical guideline on the diagnosis and management of hepatitis C. The clinical guideline is expected to inform the development of the quality standard on “liver disease (non-alcoholic)” that was referred to NICE as part of the quality standards library in March 2012. NICE has not been asked to develop a separate quality standard on hepatitis C.

Hepatitis

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure full and open access by those most economically disadvantaged to hepatitis C (a) screening and (b) treatment services; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: From 1 April 2013, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will work with local authorities and other local partners in Health and Wellbeing Boards, to ensure the heeds of local people are appropriately assessed, and that those needs are captured in a health and wellbeing strategy, which will inform commissioning plans, for securing services to meet those needs.
	CCGs will have a statutory obligation to arrange for the provision of health services it considers necessary to meet the requirements of those patients for whom they are responsible. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 will require CCGs to act with a view to securing continuous improvement in the quality of services provided to individuals in relation to the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of illness, including hepatitis C.

Hospices: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was allocated to hospices in London in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how much such funding has been allocated in 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The Department does not provide revenue funding to hospices that provide care for adults; that is the responsibility of local national health service commissioners.
	The Department did allocate £39,906,158 capital funding to adult and children's hospices across England in 2010-11. Table 1 shows which hospices in London received capital funding and how much was received. The hospices in London receiving funding are all adult hospices. The total capital funds made available for hospices across England in 2010-11 was £40 million.
	In addition to the above, hospices are eligible to apply for project funding via the Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development (IESD) Fund and the Social Enterprise Investment Fund (SEIF). £40,740 was received by St Francis Hospice (Romford) under the IESD allocations. The funding received by hospices from the SEIF is set out in Table 2. The SEIF is still considering applications for 2012, and therefore the 2012-13 figures are not available at this time.
	
		
			 Table 1: Capital grants allocated to hospices in London in 2010-11 
			 Organisation name Activity type Grant received (£) 
			 Greenwich and Bexley Cottage Hospice In-patient unit/Refurb 252,257 
			 Harris HospisCare with St Christopher's Day care unit/Refurb 95,747 
			 Marie Curie Cancer Care Hampstead Hospitality/Refurb 120,440 
			 Meadow House Hospice Therapy centre /New building 300,000 
		
	
	
		
			 North London Hospice Day care unit/New building 750,000 
			 North London Hospice In-patient unit/Refurb 196,317 
			 St Christopher's Hospice In-patient unit/Refurb 445,289 
			 St Francis Hospice (Romford) Bathroom/Refurb 346,000 
			 St John's Hospice (London) . In-patient unit/Refurb 600,000 
			 St Joseph's Hospice (London) Viewing room/Refurb 546,000 
			 St Luke's Hospice (Harrow) Reception/Refurb 277,217 
			 St Raphael's Hospice Sutton Bathroom/Refurb 500,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Organisations awarded funds from the SEIF in 2011-12 
			 £ 
			 Organisation Total investment Revenue grant Capital grant 
			 Greenwich and Bexley Community Hospice 169,948 20,000 149,948 
			 John Taylor Hospice CIC 915,113 541,443 373,670 
			 St Catherine's Hospice (Lancashire) Ltd 150,000 — 150,000 
			 Note: The data above comprises only those organisations that are known to be hospices because the service category “hospice” is not identified separately in the SEIF. The table does not therefore include other organisations providing hospice care that may have been funded. 
		
	
	The Department provides revenue funding for children's hospices through the Department's £10 million recurrent annual children's hospice and hospice-at- home grant. Hospices have received funding in the years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13. Further details are available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/06/childrens-hospice-grants/
	Revenue funding may also come from NHS commissioners. London-based hospices in receipt of the Department's funding are shown as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Grant for: 
			 Hospice 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Haven House Children's Hospice, Woodford Green, Essex 200,000 199,752 199,752 
			 Richard House Children's Hospice, E16 330,017 329,769 329,769 
			 Shooting Star, Middlesex 213,237 212,989 212,989 
			 Total 743,254 742,510 742,510 
		
	
	Children's hospices and the wider children's palliative care sector received a further one-off non recurrent grant of £19 million in 2010-11 to support local projects (from a total of £30 million made available). The £19 million was on top of the annual recurrent funding of £10 million, to which we are committed until a transparent and fair per patient funding system is established in 2015. The London-based organisations in receipt of this funding are in the following table.
	
		
			 Organisation applying Project title £ 
			 ALD Life, London Practical Information Leaflets: dealing with diagnosis 3,883 
			 Brent Community Services Training and equipment for children and young people 29,000 
			 Camp Simcha, NW4 Family Retreats 30,000 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital; Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust; University of London Institute of Child Health Improving access to palliative care 41,685 
			 Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust Development of practical guidance in neonatal unit 63,000 
			 Children's Home Care Team (CHCT) Sutton Hospital Better Care for End of Life Children 4,000 
			 Coombe Trust Fund, SE13 Children's Special Care Rooms and Transportation 79,000 
			 Demelza Hospice Care for Children (SE London) Blood transfusion training 33,870 
			 Demelza Hospice Care for Children (SE London) Peer facilitated, interactive workshops for young people 66,838 
			 Demelza Hospice Care for Children (SE London) Development of KPI measurement tools 46,349 
			 Diana Children's Community Team, Children's Community Nursing Service, NHS Newham Community Health and Care Services Bringing together stories -Groups for Adults and Children anticipating and experiencing death 7,000 
			 Enfield Community Services Training, resource pack, staff development and equipment 65,000 
			 Evelina Children's Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust Formalised structure for delivering paediatric palliative care services 105,000 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, University College London Institute of Child Health Changing the culture of care in Tertiary Centres 128,138 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, University College London Institute of Child Health Developing a home Patient Controlled Analgesia.(PCA) service 31,911 
			 Greenwich Community Health Services Meeting the Holistic Needs of children in Greenwich 62,000 
			 Haven House Children's Hospice Square Table Discussion 2,067 
			 King's College, London Development of a person-centred case-mix classification 149,815 
			 Life Force Paediatric Palliative and Bereavement Care Team, NHS Islington, SLOW (Surviving Loss of Our World), Islington Parent Support Group for bereaved parents Volunteer training to support bereaved parents 1,700 
			 Life Force Team, NHS Islington, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, University College London Royal Free and University College London Institute of Child Health Spiritual support for children and young people 53,773 
			 Life Force Team, NHS Islington Bereavement Training for Staff 11,000 
			 Life Force Team, NHS Islington Discharge Planning 17,000 
			 Life Force Team, NHS Islington Syringe drivers for NCL network 17,000 
			 NHS Ealing, Children's Commissioning Collation of data 37,000 
			 Noah's Ark Children's Hospice Promoting health, independence, and tackling inequalities 50,500 
			 Noah's Ark Children's Hospice Square Table Discussion 8,165 
		
	
	
		
			 Noah's Ark Children's Hospice Psychosocial support for children and families 71,700 
			 Outer North East London Community Services - Specialist Children's Community Services (Waltham Forest) Home based play service 5,000 
			 Richard House Children's Hospice Awareness for non-English speaking families 18,000 
			 Richard House Children's Hospice Training for staff and volunteers in managing grief 22,500 
			 Richard House Children's Hospice Piloting of a rapid response home care 344,570 
			 Richard House Children's Hospice Appointment of a community liaison officer (three months) 9,165 
			 Richard House Children's Hospice Projects including developing London-wide training and education strategy 135,523 
			 Richard House Children's Hospice Family hand-held medication record pilot 58,770 
			 Richard House Children's Hospice Safeguarding Training 13,540 
			 Richard House Children's Hospice Square Table Discussion 1,900 
			 Teenage Cancer Trust Service Development 15,052 
			 The Margaret Centre Psychological Support Service, Whipps Cross University Hospital Trust Development of a six-month Child-Parent Relationship Therapy pilot scheme 29,000 
			 The Margaret Centre Psychological Support Service, Whipps Cross University Hospital Trust Development of six-month pilot scheme for facilitated support for professionals 31,000 
			 Wandsworth PCT Training in grief and loss 17,000 
			 Total  1,917,414. 
		
	
	From April 2012-13, the Government made an additional £720,000 available to new children's hospices services. The London-based hospices in receipt of this funding are in the following table:
	
		
			 Hospice £ 
			 Demelza House Children's Hospice, Eltham 121,181 
			 Noah's Ark Children's Hospice, Barnet 121,181 
			 Total 242,362

Hospitals: Admissions

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS acute trusts have not met the national commissioning for quality and innovation requirement to risk assess 90 per cent of in-patients upon admission to hospital in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: Six NHS acute trusts did not meet the national commissioning for quality and innovation goal for Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) risk assessment in Q2 2012-13 (July-September 2012). Details are as follows:
	
		
			 Organisation name Percentage of admitted patients risk-assessed for VTE 
			 Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust 89.6 
			 Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust 80.9 
			 Croydon Health Services NHS Trust 89.4 
			 Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust 85.7 
			 Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust 88.3 
			 Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 89.6

ICT

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The following table gives details of the departmental losses and thefts for the financial years 2010-11 and 2011-12.
	
		
			 April to March 
			 Departmental losses and thefts 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Computers 10 11 
			 Mobile telephones 6 4 
			 Blackberrys 44 32 
			 Other IT equipment 26 16 
			 Total 86 63 
		
	
	NHS Connecting for Health (NHS CfH) is part of the Department's Informatics Directorate. However, there are a number of fundamental differences between the Department and NHS CfH including suppliers of equipment used. It is therefore deemed appropriate to display the figures for NHS CfH losses and thefts separately to the rest of the Department.
	
		
			 April to March 
			 NHS CfH losses and thefts 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Computers (Laptops) 10 5 
			 Mobile telephones (includes all mobile devices) 7 29 
			 Blackberrys (not used) 0 0 
			 Other IT equipment 0 0 
			 Total 17 34

Midwives

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many student midwives were in receipt of a bursary in the last five academic years; what the average bursary paid to a student midwife was in each such year; and what the total cost was to his Department of such bursaries;
	(2)  what the average cost was of training a midwife in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  what the total cost to his Department of training student midwives was in each of the last three years.

Daniel Poulter: Midwifery degrees are generally a three year course, for which the tuition and student support costs are funded through the Multi Professional Education and Training (MPET) budget issued to strategic health authorities.
	The number of midwifery students who held a bursary, the average bursary paid to those students and the total cost of all bursaries paid to student midwives in each of the last five academic years can be found in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of bursary holders (1) Average amount paid per bursary holder (2)  (£) Total amount paid (2) () (£) 
			 2007-08 3,996 5,813 23,228,490 
			 2008-09 4,265 5,715 24,373,689 
			 2009-10 4,777 5,765 27,539,804 
			 2010-11 5,218 5,722 29,854,947 
			 2011-12 5,345 5,799 30,997,396 
			 (1) Includes nil award holders (European Union fees only students and students whose living allowance element of the bursary has been reduced to nil after income assessment). (2) Includes the basic award and all supplementary allowances and one off payments. Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest pound. 2. Information on the total cost of training student midwives is not available as the Department does not monitor training spend to this level of granularity. Source: NHS Business Services Authority 
		
	
	The tuition costs for midwifery degree and diploma students are paid by the national health service based on the national benchmark price. The benchmark price for both midwifery degree and diploma courses over the last three years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Standard Outer London Inner London 
			 2010-11 9,018 9,469 9,740 
			 2011-12 9,181 9,640 9,915 
			 2012-13 9,374 9,842 10,123 
		
	
	In addition to the above costs, most midwifery degree students will also be eligible for a student loan. This loan is provided by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	There are several other ways midwives can be trained and where an existing NHS employee is seconded on to a midwifery programme, the student would be entitled to a salary, rather than student support. These salary costs are not collected centrally.

NHS: Staff

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) hospital doctors, (b) nurses, (c) GPs, (d) GP practice nurses, (e) nurse practitioners, (f) modern matrons, (g) community matrons and (h) managers there were in the NHS in (i) 2010 and (ii) the latest period for which figures are available.

Daniel Poulter: The annual workforce census shows the number of staff employed by the NHS in England at 30 September each year. The following table shows the number of staff employed at 30 September 2010 and 30 September 2011.
	The monthly workforce statistics show the number of staff employed by the NHS in England but exclude general practitioners (GPS) and GP practice staff. The latest figures for August 2012 are shown on the table.
	Nurse practitioner numbers are not collected centrally.
	
		
			 Selected NHS staff in England as at 2010, 2011 and August 2012 
			 Full-time equivalents 
			  2010 2011 August 2012 (1) 
			 Hospital doctors 97,636 99,394 100,599 
			 GPs (excluding retainers and registrars) 31,356 31,391 n/a 
			 GP practice nurses 13,167 13,573 n/a 
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 309,139 306,346 304,566 
			 Of which:    
			 Modern matrons 4,769 4,396 4,159 
			 Community matrons 1,552 1,469 1,391 
			 Managers and senior managers(2) 40,094 36,613 35,550 
			 “n/a” = not available (1) As from 21 July 2010 Health and Social Care Information Centre has published experimental, provisional monthly NHS workforce data. As expected with provisional, experimental statistics, some figures may be revised from month to month as issues are uncovered and resolved. The monthly workforce data is not directly comparable with the annual workforce census; it only includes those staff on the electronic staff record (i.e. it does not include primary care staff or bank staff), it also includes locum doctors (not counted in the annual census)—the figures presented in this column are for August 2012, and are the latest available from this source. They are not fully comparable with census data. GP practice staff (all general practice staff other than GPs) are collected manually by primary care trusts and collated and published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre in the annual census. The collection form does not include a breakdown of nurse practitioners, these staff are included in the GP practice nurse category and cannot be identified separately. (2) Managers and senior managers have responsibility for budgets, staff, assets or significant areas of work and report to directly to the executive team. Data Quality: The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Note: 1. 2010 and 2011 data is taken from the annual workforce census taken on 30 September each year. GP data is not taken from the NHS electronic staff record system and is currently only available annually. 2012 census data are expected to be published March 2013.

Nurses

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many commissions there were in (a) total and (b) each region for (i) health visitors, (ii) school nurses, (iii) district nurses and (iv) community psychiatric nurses in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The number of training commissions in each strategic health authority (SHA) between 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			 Nursing training commissions by SHA 2010-11 to 2012-13 
			 2010-11 actual commissions 
			  NHS North East NHS North West NHS Yorkshire and the Humber NHS East Midlands NHS West Midlands NHS East of England NHS London NHS South East Coast NHS South Central NHS South West England 
			 Health visitors 35 78 59 44 56 82 88 31 36 36 545 
			 School nurses 17 30 28 12 23 24 35 15 9 19 212 
			 District nurses 31 51 28 14 43 0 52 0 17 0 236 
			 Community psychiatric nurses 0 4 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 8 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 actual commissions 
			  NHS North East NHS North West NHS Yorkshire and the Humber NHS East Midlands NHS. West Midlands NHS East of England NHS London NHS South East Coast NHS South Central NHS South West England 
			 Health visitors 83 207 157 159 187 236 141 95 131 210 1,606 
			 School nurses 15 39 21 0 26 0 49 14 20 26 210 
			 District nurses 22 34 18 0 42 0 42 0 19 0 177 
			 Community psychiatric nurses 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 planned commissions 
			  NHS North East NHS North West NHS Yorkshire and the Humber NHS East Midlands NHS West Midlands NHS East of England NHS London NHS South East Coast NHS South Central NHS South West England 
			 Health visitors 79 251 230 237 377 296 374 292 180 210 2,526 
			 School nurses 12 40 20 0 22 0 50 28 20 20 212 
			 District nurses 37 49 43 0 40 0 68 0 20 0 257 
			 Community psychiatric nurses 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6

Nurses: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) district nurses and (b) Macmillan community nurses were employed by the NHS in each primary care trust area in London in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The information is not available in the format requested. Data on Macmillan community nurses is not available as it has not been possible to separately identify community staff as opposed to other Macmillan nurses.
	The number of district nurses working in the London strategic health authority area by NHS organisation for September 2010 and 2011 and the latest available data at August 2012 is shown in the following table.
	Data for September 2012 has not yet been published.
	
		
			 NHS hospital and community health services; district nurses for London strategic health authority area by organisatio n (1)  and specified dates (2) 
			 Full-time equivalent 
			 London strategic health authority September 2010 September 2011 August 2012 
			  1,093 1,037 1,026 
			     
			 Barnet Primary Care Trust (PCT) 74 13 — 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust — 15 16 
			 Barts and the London NHS Trust — 28 — 
			 Barts Health NHS Trust — — 21 
			 Bexley Care Trust 2 — — 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 48 — — 
			 Bromley Healthcare — — 41 
			 Bromley PCT 46 44 3 
			 Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust 1 1 — 
			 Camden PCT 6 11 — 
			 Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust — — 19 
			 Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust — 42 51 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 21 3 1 
			 Croydon Health Services NHS Trust — 83 23 
			 Croydon PCT 16 — — 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust — 114 102 
			 Ealing PCT 27 5 5 
			 East London NHS Foundation Trust — 70 51 
			 Enfield PCT 77 1 — 
			 Greenwich Teaching PCT 60 1 1 
			 Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust — 39 42 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 3 0 0 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 47 — — 
			 Harrow PCT 41 — — 
			 Havering PCT 101 162 — 
			 Hillingdon PCT 11 12 1 
			 Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust — 10 9 
			 Hounslow PCT 1 1 1 
			 Islington PCT 28 1 5 
		
	
	
		
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 50 — — 
			 Lambeth PCT 25 — — 
			 Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust — 61 53 
			 Lewisham PCT 59 9 10 
			 Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust 71 — — 
			 Newham PCT 68 — — 
			 North East London NHS Foundation Trust 13 14 236 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 1 1 1 
			 Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust 12 66 64 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 74 87 83 
			 Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust — — 16 
			 South London Healthcare NHS Trust — 1 — 
			 Southwark PCT 19 — — 
			 St George's Healthcare NHS Trust 30 34 38 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 14 18 — 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 31 — — 
			 Wandsworth PCT 3 9 JO 
			 Whittington Hospital NHS Trust — 69 110 
			 Your Healthcare 15 13 12 
			 ‘—’ Denotes zero (1) Figures are provided for district nurses by organisation in London as it is not possible to associate NHS trusts with specific PCT areas. (2) 2010 and 2011 figures are from the annual workforce census, as at 30 September. 2012 figures are from the Provisional Monthly Workforce Statistics, as at 31 August. September 2012 figures are not yet available. Note: As part of the ongoing changes that have been affecting the organisational structure of the NHS many services have clustered into larger regional units to provide a more consistent approach to care in their local health economy and to benefit from the savings such as shared management teams that this offers. In the case of London these changes have been present for some time and this can be seen in the increases and decreases in staff numbers across the PCTs and trusts. As a further consequence of the restructuring of the NHS a few NHS organisations have continued to exist within the Electronic Staff Record database with small numbers of staff as a result of the impact of Transforming Community Services and the resultant system mergers and demergers which are still ongoing. Data Quality: The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Sources: 1. Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census 2. Provisional Monthly Workforce Statistics

Obesity

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) children and (b) adults are (i) obese and (ii) overweight when measured by body mass index according to the most recent health survey figures in (A) Bury St Edmunds constituency, (B) Suffolk County Council area, (C) the East of England and (D) England.

Anna Soubry: Information is not available in the format requested.
	Information on the prevalence of children (aged two to 15) who are obese and overweight in England is available in Table 4 of the Child trend tables from ‘Health Survey for England—2010 trend tables’. This information is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/hse10trends
	Information, on the prevalence of obesity and overweight in children aged two to 15 by Strategic Health Authority (SHA) is available in Table 11.3 of the ‘Health Survey for England—2010: Respiratory health’. This information is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/hse10report
	Information on the prevalence of obesity and overweight in children by government office region, local authority county/unitary authority and local authority district/former district is available in the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) in tables 3A and 3B in. the excel file accompanying ‘National Child Measurement Programme: England, 2010/11-school year’. However, this information is only available for children in Reception year (four to five years) and year 6 (10 to 11 years).
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/obesity/national-child-measurement-programme-england-2010-11-school-year
	Information on the prevalence of obesity and overweight in adults aged 16 and over in England is available in Table 4 of the Adult trend tables from ‘Health Survey for England—2010 trend tables’. This information is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/hse10trends
	Information on the prevalence of obesity and overweight in adults aged 16 and over by Strategic Health Authority (SHA) for 2010 is available in Table 10.3 of the ‘Health Survey for England—2010: Respiratory health’. This information is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/hse10report
	Copies of the ‘Health Survey for England—2010 trend tables’ and the ‘National Child Measurement Programme: England, 2010/11 school year’ have already been placed in the Library.
	The ‘Health Survey for England—2010: Respiratory health’ report has been placed in the Library.
	New data on levels of obesity and overweight are due to published from the National Child Measurement Programme on 12 December and the Health Survey for England on 20 December.

Roaccutane

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the possible link between the Roaccutane form of the drug isotretinoin and mental health disorders.

Norman Lamb: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency continuously monitors the safety of all medicines on the market. Clear warnings about the risk of mental health disorders, including depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviour, have been present for many years in the Patient Information Leaflet for Roaccutane provided with the medicine and the product information for preservers.
	Roaccutane and all brands of oral isotretinoin are subject to annual European safety assessments which review all safety data including suspected adverse reactions reported in association with isotretinoin, published literature and studies. These assessments include the detailed assessment of adverse reactions affecting mental health.
	This year's European safety assessment which was led by the United Kingdom, concluded that the current product information reflected the available knowledge regarding the risks of depression, suicide and other mental health disorders and that no further amendments to the product information were required at that time.
	These important safety issues remain under close monitoring throughout Europe and will be reconsidered if new data become available.

Senior Civil Servants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of senior civil servants have left (a) his Department and (b) each of the public bodies for which he is responsible since May 2010; what the rate of turnover of senior civil servants has been in (i) his Department and (ii) each such body since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The number of senior civil servants (SCS) who have left the Department since May 2010 is 86. This represents 33%, of workforce SCS based on the SCS workforce in May 2010. The annual turnover rate of SCS at the end of May 2010 was 17%, compared with annual turnover of 16%, as at the end of November 2012.
	The Department's executive non-departmental public bodies do not employ civil servants. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) does employ civil servants. Information about the SCS in MHRA is presented in the following table:
	
		
			 Dates Headcount Leavers Turnover (Percentage) 
			 5 May 2010 to 4 May 2011 122 11 9 
			 5 May 2011 to 4 May 2012 129 14 11 
			 5 May 2012 to 5 December 2012 134 6 5

Thromboembolism

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to include a venous thromboembolism prevention measure from the NHS Outcomes Framework, for consideration as a quality premium payment for clinical commissioning groups.

Anna Soubry: The Health and Social Care Act 2012 makes provision for the NHS Commissioning Board to reward clinical commissioning groups that commission effectively and so improve the quality and outcomes of patient care with the payment of a quality premium. Further rules around the payment scheme will also be set out in secondary legislation in due course. The detailed design of scheme within this framework, including which indicators will be included, will then be a matter for the NHS Commissioning Board.

Thromboembolism

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that primary care professionals are aware of the risks of venous thromboembolism to their patients;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to improve the diagnosis and referral of venous thromboembolism occurring in patients within the primary care setting.

Anna Soubry: As part of the venous thromboembolism (VTE) Prevention Programme the VTE Board is developing a VTE commissioning toolkit to support Clinical Commissioning Groups deliver a systematic, high quality approach to VTE prevention across the whole patient pathway. The toolkit will be published by April 2013.

Thromboembolism

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency readmissions made within 28 days of discharge from hospital were due to patients contracting venous thromboembolism in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: This data is not available.

Thromboembolism

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will take steps to mandate venous thromboembolism risk assessment and provision of prophylaxis for high risk patients on admission to hospital;
	(2)  if he will take steps to reduce the number of cases of hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism presenting following discharge from hospital.

Anna Soubry: A number of steps are already being taken to reduce incidence. Levers comprise the NHS standard acute contract, which includes not only risk assessment of all adult inpatients, but also root cause analysis of incidents of hospital-associated thrombosis; and inclusion in the NHS litigation authority risk management standards. In addition trusts that have failed in the past to provide the mandatory data return for risk assessment have brought to the attention of the regulator (Care Quality Commission).
	The Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Prevention programme is embedding best practice in core clinical practice by a combination of tools and incentives. NICE Clinical Guideline 92 and the VTE Prevention Quality Standard, together with statements from the ‘4 Professions Group’ provide the clinical best practice guidance. Incentivisation of the risk assessment for all adult admitted patients through the Commissioning for Equality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme, .with a goal of 90%, has been in place since June 2010, and across the NHS this goal has been achieved for the last three quarters for which data are available.

Thromboembolism

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to include venous thromboembolism prevention as a national commissioning for equality innovation goal in the NHS in 2013-14.

Anna Soubry: The national commissioning for equality innovation goals for the NHS in 2013-14 will be set out in the NHS. Planning Guidance for 2013-14, which is due to be published later in December.

Thromboembolism

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to include an indicator on venous thromboembolism prevention in the commissioning outcomes framework.

Anna Soubry: It is for the NHS Commissioning Board to make decisions on how it will hold clinical commissioning groups to account for their performance, and we understand they will be publishing details soon.

Thromboembolism

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to improve (a) NHS workforce and (b) patient information on the importance of venous thromboembolism prevention.

Anna Soubry: Improving awareness and information, both for staff and patients, has been a high priority for the Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Board since the VTE Prevention programme began, and the board has provided leadership and co-ordination across key activities for both national health service staff and patients:
	Information for the NHS workforce has been developed through the National VTE Exemplar Centres Network, whose work includes developing and sharing VTE guidelines, education and audit materials. An online training module has been completed by over 11,000 participants. The network is multi-professional, incorporating the VTE Prevention National Nursing and Midwifery Network, and working closely with the UK Clinical Pharmacy Association—Haemostasis, Anticoagulation and Thrombosis group.
	The VTE ‘4 Professions’ Group, comprising the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Midwives has provided professional leadership, releasing a position statement on 20 September 2012 supporting VTE prevention. The position statement has been placed in the Library.
	Patient information leaflets, one designed for all patients on admission to hospital, and one for obstetric patients are in development with support from Lifeblood: The Thrombosis Charity and the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry VTE Group. The leaflets will be templates to enable trusts to incorporate relevant local information.

Tobacco: Packaging

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Barnsley Central of 28 November 2012, Official Report, columns 377-8W, on smoking: young people, when he expects his Department to have finished considering the consultation responses, evidence and other information on standardised packaging of tobacco products; if he will provide a timescale for his announcement of the Government's proposed course of action on standardised tobacco packaging; whether he has held discussions with his counterpart in Australia on the (i) reason he believes that policy action on tobacco packaging has the potential to bring additional public health benefits, over and above those expected to accrue from existing tobacco control initiatives and (ii) extent to which the UK can make use of the work done in Australia prior to the implementation there of a ban on standardised packaging; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The Department has received many thousands of responses to the “Consultation on standardised packaging of tobacco products” from a range of interested parties. The Department is in the process of collating and analysing these responses. We will give full and proper consideration to all of the responses received, as well as to the evidence, and other relevant information, before making any decisions on future policy for tobacco packaging.
	No current Health Minister has met with any Australian Health Minister to discuss standardised packaging of tobacco products. However, contact is maintained at official level with the Australian Department of Health and Ageing regarding tobacco control.
	The Government have an open mind on whether standardised packaging should be introduced. To inform responses to this consultation and any subsequent policy-making, the Department of Health in England commissioned a systematic review of the evidence on plain tobacco packaging. The review was supported through the Public Health Research Consortium (PHRC), a network of researchers funded by the Department's Policy Research programme. The review was undertaken by academics at the University of Stirling, the University of Nottingham and the Institute of Education, London. The resulting report has been peer-reviewed in accordance with the Department's Research Governance Framework10 and is available on the PHRC's website at:
	http://phrc.lshtm.ac.uk/project_2011-2016_006.html
	The PHRC report represents the work and views of the authors, not necessarily those of the Department.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Poliomyelitis

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the incidence of polio in (a) Nigeria, (b) India (c) Pakistan and (d) Afghanistan; and if she will make a statement.

Justine Greening: The global polio eradication initiative (GPEI) reports weekly on the number of cases of polio worldwide. They report that as of 28 November 2012 there have been 110 cases in Nigeria, 56 cases in Pakistan and 31 cases in Afghanistan so far this year. In January 2012, India (previously classed endemic) passed one year without recording any new cases of polio and there have been no new cases recorded so far in 2012.

Public Appointments

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many public appointments (a) regulated by and (b) not regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments have been made by her Department since 2007; and in how many such cases the services of recruitment consultants were retained.

Alan Duncan: The number of public appointments made by DFID from 2007 is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) Commonwealth Development Corporation Group (CDC) Commonwealth Scholarship scheme (CSC) 
			 (a) Regulated by OCPA 4 3 14 
			 (b) Not regulated by OCPA 0 0 0 
		
	
	The services of a recruitment consultant were retained in the support of the recruitment of public appointments to CDC only during this period.

Public Appointments

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when her Department last assessed the (a) utility and (b) value of psychometric testing in its recruitment and selection of candidates for public appointments on advisory boards.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not have a central policy on the use of psychometric testing in the recruitment of candidates for public appointments on advisory boards. It is for each public body with the support of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments to determine the most appropriate selection methodology for each individual appointment.

Public Appointments

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her Department's policy is on the payment of travel expenses to candidates in respect of their attendance at assessment centres and interviews when pursuing applications for selection to a public appointment.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not have a central policy for the reimbursement of travel expense to candidates attending assessment centres and interview for selection to public appointments. The policy for such payments is for the non-departmental public body or arm's length body that has the vacancy to determine.

PRIME MINISTER

Sick Leave

David Ruffley: To ask the Prime Minister what the average number of working days lost was per person in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies in each of the last five years.

Francis Maude: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	Analysis of the average working days lost for the Cabinet Office and its agencies is published on a quarterly basis on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/absence-data
	Aggregated figures for the whole civil service are published on the civil service website at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/improving/health-and-wellbeing/sickness-absence

TREASURY

Child Benefit

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many parents will lose child benefit as a result of the changes coming into force in January 2013.

David Gauke: In 2012-13 HMRC estimates that 1.1 million families will be affected by the new high income child benefit charge. Those affected may not all be parents as child benefit can be claimed by any adult who is responsible for a child.
	Child Benefit will continue to be paid to all families who claim and are entitled to it. The tax charge will only apply to people on an income over £50,000 who claim child benefit or whose partner claims child benefit. This charge will increase gradually for taxpayers with an income between £50,000 and £60,000.

Business Creation

Mark Menzies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to support business creation.

Sajid Javid: I refer the hon. Member to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), earlier response to questions 2, 3,7 and 9.

Autumn Statement

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on his Autumn Statement.

David Gauke: The Treasury received a number of representations from a variety of organisations in the run up to the autumn statement. As was the case with previous administrations, the Government does not provide details of these representations.

Financial Services: New Entrants

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to encourage new entrants to financial services.

Greg Clark: The information is as follows:
	This Government are committed to the creating a transparent, stable and competitive banking sector.
	The Government announced in June that the Financial Services Authority and the Bank of England would review the prudential and conduct requirements for new entrants to the banking sector.
	This is an excellent opportunity to take positive action to remove barriers to entry and expansion in banking and I look forward to publication of the review in the new year.

Job Creation: Private Sector

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to encourage private sector job creation.

Danny Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), earlier response to questions 2, 3, 7 and 9.

Job Creation: Private Sector

Mary Macleod: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to encourage private sector job creation.

Danny Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's earlier response to questions 2, 3, 7 and 9.

Annuities

Katy Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what steps he is taking in respect of the level of annuity rates offered to pensioners;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with pension providers on the level of annuity rates which they offer.

Sajid Javid: The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has the information and tools they need to make responsible and informed decisions at retirement and supports the Association of British Insurers' new Code of Conduct for Retirement Choices, due to be implemented by 1 March 2013. The code, complemented by the impartial information offered by the Money Advice Service and the Pensions Advisory Service, will help ensure that many more retirees maximise their assets by effectively exercising the ‘Open Market Option’ and considering the best annuity for their needs.
	Treasury Ministers have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent staff were employed on consultancy contracts in his Department on the latest date for which figures are available; how many such staff were employed on the same date 12 months ago; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury hold multiple consultancy contracts. Suppliers of services to these contracts are responsible for providing adequate levels of resources to deliver the outcomes as contractually agreed. In order to determine full time equivalent staff deployed by suppliers for all such contracts, the information required could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Financial Services

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to reduce the UK's dependence on the financial services sector.

Sajid Javid: Increasing reliance on the financial sector and on borrowing in the private and public sectors drove growing imbalances in the UK economy during the pre-crisis decade. This Government is rebalancing the economy towards strong, sustainable growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries, through a radical programme of supply-side reforms, as well as providing financial support for businesses creating jobs and growth. For example, autumn statement of 5 December 2012, Official Report, columns 871-882, announced a temporary increase in the Annual Investment Allowance limit from £25,000 to £250,000, and a further £5 billion of capital investment in infrastructure to underpin the UK's long-term competitiveness. The Government also announced an extension to the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative of £120 million to increase the UK manufacturing sector's competitiveness and repatriate supply chains nationally.

ICT

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The following computers, mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and other pieces of IT equipment have been lost or stolen from the Department in the financial years 2010-11 and 2011-12:
	
		
			 Items lost or stolen from the Department Recovered 
			 2010-11  
			 12 laptop computers 4 
			 1 mobile phone 0 
			 10 BlackBerrys 2 
			 11 other pieces of IT equipment 0 
			   
			 2011-12  
			 8 laptop computers 5 
			 0 mobile phones n/a 
			 17 BlackBerrys 2 
			 29 other pieces of IT equipment 3 
		
	
	All the laptop computers involved in these incidents were encrypted devices which are not accessible without a security token and more than one password. The BlackBerrys are also password protected.
	No tokens or passwords were left with these items, and so there was no data loss, and steps were taken, as soon as the theft of these electronic items were reported, to ensure that they provided no means of access to any of the Department's IT systems.

Interest Rates

Katy Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit banks from placing savers in accounts which offer interest rates excessively below market levels.

Sajid Javid: The Financial Services Authority currently has responsibility for regulating the conduct of financial services firms offering savings accounts. This responsibility will be transferred to the Financial Conduct Authority from 1 April 2013.
	The Government wants consumers to be able to get the best from their savings, and encourages savers to shop around to get the best deal. The Money Advice Service has been established to provide information and generic advice on money matters, including helping people understand how to make decisions about their savings. At Budget 2012 it was announced that the Money Advice Service would develop and introduce web-based resources to show consumers when ISA bonus rates are ending.

Pensions

Katy Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what powers he proposes that the Financial Conduct Authority will have over private pension providers.

Sajid Javid: The Financial Conduct Authority will be responsible for the conduct regulation of all non-occupational pension providers. They will also be responsible for the prudential regulation of non-occupational pension providers other than insurance companies, banks, systemically important investment firms, and firms passporting into the United Kingdom from other European member states. If a retail pension product is based offshore, the FCA will regulate the marketing and distribution of this by a UK firm. The Financial Conduct Authority will be able to apply the full range of its powers in support of this role. These include:
	authorisation powers;
	powers to make rules and issue codes and guidance;
	new product intervention powers;
	enforcement powers;
	powers to agree or impose schemes for providing consumer redress.

Pensions

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will (a) review the income limits on drawdown pension policies and (b) consider reinstating the link between the income cap and the Government Actuary's Department rate.

Sajid Javid: The Government announced in the autumn statement that it will increase the capped drawdown limit for pensioners of all ages with these arrangements from 100% to 120% of the value of an equivalent annuity in FB13.
	The Government keeps all aspects of its policies under review.

Pensions

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of quantitative easing on pensions; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The independent Monetary Policy Committee's (MPC) policy tools, including Bank Rate and quantitative easing (QE), are macroeconomic policy tools designed to affect the economy as a whole, in order to meet the 2% inflation target over the medium term.
	The Bank of England's paper “The Distributional Effects of Asset Purchases” published on 23 August 2012 notes that:
	"The main factor affecting the valuation of defined benefit pension schemes and defined contribution pension pots over the past five years has been the fall in equity prices relative to gilt prices. That fall in the relative price of equities was not caused by QE, and stemmed in large part from the reluctance of investors to hold risky assets, such as equities, given the deterioration in the economic outlook, almost certainly as a result of the financial crisis."
	The paper concludes that:
	"Without the Bank's asset purchases...[there] would have [been a] significant detrimental impact on savers and pensioners along with every other group in society."

Petrol: Expenditure

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of income was spent on petrol by those earning an annual salary of between (a) £10,000 and £20,000, (b) £20,000 and £30,000, (c) £30,000 and £40,000, (d) £40,000 and £50,000 and (e) over £50,000 in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated December 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, asking what proportion of income was spent on petrol by those earning an annual salary of between (a) £10,000 and £20,000, (b) £20,000 and £30,000, (c) £30,000 and £40,000, (d) £40,000 and £50,000 and (e) over £50,000 in the latest period for which figures are available. (133072)
	As data on expenditure is only available at the household and not the individual level, the figures given in Table 1 below refer to household disposable income and expenditure on petrol refers to total household expenditure on petrol. Disposable income has been used as it is the income measure which most accurately reflects a household's spending power. Disposable income, is defined as income from wages and salaries, self-employment, occupational pensions, investments and other non-government sources, plus cash benefits, less direct taxes.
	Table 1 shows household expenditure on petrol as a percentage of household disposable income for each of the above bands. The table also displays the equivalent figures for diesel and both petrol and diesel combined.
	Estimates of income and expenditure are taken from the Living Costs and Food Survey (LCF), which is a sample survey covering approximately 5,000 private households in the UK. The LCF has been used for this response because it collects both income and expenditure data.
	The estimates provided, as with any involving sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			 Table 1: Percentage of banded household disposable income spent on petrol, 2010-11 (1, 2) 
			 Band of household disposable income (£) Expenditure on petrol as a percentage (%) of disposable income Expenditure on diesel as a percentage (%) of disposable income Expenditure on petrol and diesel as a percentage (%) of disposable income Number of households (million) 
			 10,000 to 20,000 3.2 1.0 4.2 7.70 
			 20,000 to 30,000 3.6 1.3 4.9 5.79 
			 30,000 to 40,000 3.1 1.3 4.4 3.90 
			 40,000 to 50,000 3.0 1.4 4.4 2.28 
			 Over 50,000 2.2 1.1 3.3 3.64 
			 (1) Household disposable income is income from employment, occupational pensions, investments and other non-government sources, plus cash benefits, less direct taxes. (2) Figures may not sum due to rounding. Source: Effects of Taxes and Benefits and Living Costs and Food survey, Office for National Statistics

Smuggling: Tobacco

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people at ports and airports have been intercepted with tobacco above the allowed duty limits in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many such people were believed to be professional criminals.

Sajid Javid: It is not possible to provide details of the number of people stopped at ports and airports with tobacco above the allowed duty limits, or how many such people were believed to be professional criminals.
	Limits only apply to people travelling from outside the European Union. There are no limits to the amount of tobacco products that travellers from the European Union can bring into the UK, as long as they are for their own use and transported by them.
	To the extent that the Government are able to provide information, the UK Border Force made 28,750 individual seizures of cigarettes at ports and airports in 2011-12, totalling 455 million cigarettes and 11,533 seizures of hand-rolling tobacco totalling 508 tonnes.

Social Security Benefits: Expenditure

Alan Reid: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely reduction in spending on each of the working age benefits and tax credits in each of the next five financial years due to his uprating policy decision announced in the Autumn Statement.

Sajid Javid: The fiscal impact of the decision to up-rate most working age benefits and tax credits by 1% from April 2013 is set out in Table 2.1 of the autumn statement document 5 December 2012, Official Report, columns 871-882. Further details of forecast benefit and tax credit expenditure are set out in Tables 4.22 and 4.23 of the Office of Budget Responsibility's Economic and Fiscal Outlook, published on 5 December. DWP will shortly publish the Benefit Expenditure tables setting out forecast expenditure for the range of DWP benefits.

Tax Avoidance

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many extra tax inspectors will be employed as a result of the £154 million now being devoted to increasing efforts to counter tax avoidance; and how much extra revenue he estimates will be raised in total and each year for the next 10 years as a result.

David Gauke: As the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury recently announced, the Government will invest a further £77 million in HM Revenue and Customs in the current spending review period to expand its tax avoidance and evasion activity. This investment is to tackle the unacceptable minority that choose to avoid paying their fair share, sometimes breaking the law.
	The announcement includes a range of activities, including additional tax specialists to tackle tax evasion and avoidance by wealthy individuals and multinationals and improving HMRC's CONNECT computer system so that the department is able to better identify areas of compliance risk.
	Therefore the £77 million investment package will fund a range of activities including over 250 tax professionals.
	By 2014-15 it is expected that HMRC will bring in around £22 billion in additional revenues that would otherwise have gone unpaid an increase of around £9 billion since 2010-11.

Tax Avoidance

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the number of tax inspectors employed by HM Revenue and Customs was in each of the last 15 years; and what was estimated to be the average revenue, or range of revenue, which each obtained per year through their work.

David Gauke: holding answer 10 December 2012
	HMRC was created by the merger of Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise in 2005 and "tax inspectors" is no longer a role within the merged organisation. Data from before 2005 can be provided only at disproportionate cost. It follows that it is not possible to ascribe the average revenue or range of revenue obtained each year through such work. However, in 2011-12 there were circa 17,000 tax professionals in HMRC who carried out a range of duties—from answering queries from customers to tackling non-compliance with taxation obligations, and of the £474.2 billion collected £16.7 billion was due to compliance activities, an increase of £2.8 billion over the previous year (HMRC Annual Report and Accounts 2011/12).
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/annual-report-accounts-1112.pdf

Tax Avoidance

Frank Dobson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of people employed in the City of London advising individuals and organisations on tax efficiency.

David Gauke: We do not hold the information requested.

Taxation: Business

Dominic Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to reduce taxes on small businesses.

David Gauke: The autumn statement announced a number of steps to support small business, including a temporary increase in the annual investment allowance limit from £25,000 to £250,000 for two years and the doubling of small business rate relief until March 2014. This follows previous steps taken including reducing the small profits rate to 20%, in place of the previous Government's plans to raise it to 22%.